Removal of Teeth

o Deep decay which cannot be filled or treated with a root canal.
o Tooth/teeth breakage, which has led to fracture of the root.
o Severely mobile tooth.
o No other treatment is possible and the tooth is causing a lot of pain.
o To make space for the repositioning of teeth using braces (orthodontic extraction).
o Wisdom tooth which is stuck in the bone without adequate space to erupt.
• These treatments generally do not cause a lot of pain and are done under local anaesthesia as an outpatient procedure.



Myths and misconceptions associated with tooth

Myth	Fact
• Extraction of tooth is a very painful procedure	• Extraction is procedure that is done under local anaesthesia and is done as an outpatient procedure. Following the administration of anaesthesia (through an injection into the mouth) the patient generally feels little or no pain. Following the procedure, the dentist will give you painkillers which will need to be taken for 2 or 3 days to take care of any post-operative pain.
• Extraction of tooth is associated with a lot of swelling in the post-operative period.	• Though swelling is associated with extraction occasionally, it is not a must that you will get selling after extraction. It varies from patient to patient. Some patients don’t get any swelling at all, while others get some swelling. This swelling generally lasts for 2-3 days and is largely reduced if the post-operative medications are taken properly. It is not necessary that you will get a swelling after tooth removal.
• Extraction of tooth will lead to loss of vision	• This assumption is totally false and is based on superstition. The nerve supply and blood supply for the eyes and the teeth are totally different and removal of a tooth will have no effect on vision. Statistics indicate that over 10 million teeth are pulled out every year. All patients have had perfect vision and have gone on to live long healthy lives. Extraction does-not affect vision.