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Extractions and Socket Prevention

A tooth extraction is performed only in cases where a tooth is too severely damaged to repair, or when a tooth is crowding other teeth and causing bite problems. A tooth extraction is generally an easy procedure to perform, and the experts at Williams Family Dentistry will make you as comfortable as possible before, during, and after your extraction procedure. After the site has been completely numbed, the dentist will start the extraction process. When the tooth has been removed, we spend time cleaning the site of the pulled tooth, and usually pack gauze around the site to promote healing. Stitches may or may not be required. Within a few weeks, you will forget that you ever had a tooth extracted, and any problems such as soreness will be gone.

Socket preservation is a procedure to reduce bone loss after a tooth is extracted. When a tooth is extracted it is common for the bone that previously supported the tooth to resorb, potentially causing a deformity in the alveolar ridge, teeth to shift, and complicating treatment if an implant will be placed. Socket preservation involves placing a bone graft into the socket where the tooth was removed and covering this with a collagen membrane to enhance bone growth.