At some point in your life, you may need oral surgery to help you maintain healthy teeth and gums, prevent bone loss, or both. At Lancaster Dental Care Associates in Lancaster, California, our oral surgeon, Dr. Michael Issakharian, provides two common oral surgery procedures: tooth extraction and dental implant surgery.
You or a loved one may need to have one or more teeth removed for various reasons. One might be trauma from an accident.
Or, your child’s mouth could be too small for all of their teeth, which are crooked. In that case, two or more permanent teeth may need to be pulled to make room for the rest of their permanent teeth without crowding. Your child may need orthodontia after tooth extraction.
Your teenager may also have impacted wisdom teeth. This is a common reason for tooth extraction. If your child’s wisdom teeth (i.e., teeth behind the molars) don’t erupt properly, they can become infected or cause pain.
Another scenario: You may have cracked a tooth when you bit down on ice, a nut, or some other hard food. In many cases, we can save the tooth with bonding, a veneer, or a crown. On the other hand, if the root and nerves of the cracked tooth have significant damage and the tooth can’t be saved by a root canal, you’ll need to have the tooth pulled.
The number one cause of tooth extraction in the world is tooth decay, however. In the U.S., it’s also the most frequent reason for tooth extraction, followed by periodontitis.
Whatever the reason for your tooth extraction, we make it as painless as possible. We numb the area completely so you don’t feel pain during the procedure. We also provide anti-anxiety medication or light sedation if you need it prior to the extraction.
Dental implants have largely replaced dental bridges and old-fashioned dentures that can slip and slide when you’re eating. If you have a missing tooth or teeth—like if you’ve had a tooth extracted—dental implant(s) may be the best solution. Leaving it alone isn’t a good oral health option.
Here’s why: The bone under your gums is alive. When you chew food, your bone gets stimulated by the force of your teeth bearing down on your food. If you lose a tooth, bone loss occurs quickly. If you don’t stop the bone loss, it continues, leading to additional tooth loss and possibly facial deformity.
During the implant procedure, your oral surgeon plants a titanium post in the empty space once your gum has healed from the extraction. Once the post has adhered to the gum and the area has healed, your surgeon places a metal piece onto the post. That piece, called an abutment, is the foundation for a crown that is fitted over the area. You now have a new permanent tooth.
Contact Lancaster Dental Care Associates by phone or book an appointment through our online portal today. We’re your partner in your oral health.
