In some situations, when a tooth can’t be treated or saved in its socket in the bone, a dentist has to remove it.

There is a list of causes according to which a tooth must be removed:

• The decayed tooth can’t be treated with root canal therapy and filling, because of the depth of injury.
• A very loose tooth, which can’t be fixed even with bone graft.
• In presence of extra teeth that block the growing of other teeth.
• If a patient is kid and his or her teeth don’t fall in time, a dentist has to remove them to free the place for the permanent growing teeth.
• If a patient gets braced, more places in the mouth may be needed. Tooth pulling is a good option to reach the goal.
• If a patient receives radiation, bisphosphonates, cancer or any immunosuppressive drugs he or she should contact to a dentist to avoid complications related to the treatment (infection, death of bone).
• Many people have troubles with their wisdom (third molars) teeth. They usually erupt between the ages of 17 and 25. Dentists prefer to remove wisdom teeth if they are decayed, cause pain, get stuck in the jaw bone, form a cyst or have infected.  If all four wisdom teeth on the upper and lower jaw bones must be removed, a dentist takes them out during one procedure.

The dentist needs all medical and dental history before the procedure. He takes X-Ray pictures (panoramic X-Ray in the case of wisdom teeth) to find the best way to remove the tooth. Some dentist may prescribe antibiotics to decrease the risk of infection.

Depending on the case, a local or intravenous anesthesia may be given to a patient. No foods or drinks must be taken for six or eight hours before the procedure. A patient should not smoke before the procedure, because this can increase the risk of dry socket (a painful complication of tooth pulling). A dentist makes sure, whether the patient feels good and then begins the procedure.  

Teeth may be extracted in two ways:

• Simple extraction. If the extracted tooth lies in visible and easily accessible place, a simple extraction may be used. A general dentist does this procedure using simple tools like elevator and forceps.  A patient usually gets a local anesthesia.  
• A surgical extraction. It is a complex procedure and is usually done by oral surgeons. The doctor makes a small cut in the gum and removes the tooth. Some additional procedures may be needed.

A patient should follow post-surgery instructions to avoid any complications. Someone should stay with a patient and drive him/her home.

A patient can feel some discomfort after the procedure. In this case, a dentist prescribes nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), like Ibuprofen, to relief the pain as well as to reduce the swelling and stop the bleeding.

If a swelling worsens, fever, chills or redness occur, bleeding doesn’t stop, a patient must contact with a dentist. The cause of these symptoms is bacterial infection. Antibacterial medications will be prescribed to remove the agent.