Relieve severe pain: An extraction can immediately eliminate the pain from a tooth that is causing an intense toothache due to deep decay, infection, or irreparable damage. Once the tooth is removed, the source of pain is gone, and your body can begin to heal.
Tooth Extractions in Calgary
Gentle Tooth Removal to Protect Your Oral Health
We consider tooth extraction a last resort, but sometimes removing a tooth is necessary to protect your overall oral health. We perform tooth extractions for teeth that are badly decayed, infected, broken beyond repair, or causing crowding issues. Our experienced team ensures you are comfortable throughout the procedure, using local anesthesia (and sedation options if needed) to keep the process pain-free. Whether you need a simple extraction or a more complex surgical extraction, you’re in good hands with our dental team.
A simple extraction is done on a tooth that is fully visible in the mouth (above the gum line). In this case, we can usually loosen the tooth with specialized instruments and carefully lift it out in one piece. A surgical extraction is required for more complex situations, such as a tooth that is broken at the gum line, severely impacted (stuck in the jawbone or under the gums), or not fully erupted. For surgical extractions, the dentist may need to make a small incision in the gum tissue to access the tooth and may remove a small amount of bone around it. The tooth may be sectioned (divided into smaller pieces) to allow it to be removed with minimal stress to the surrounding area. Common examples include impacted wisdom teeth or stubborn tooth roots.
Request an Appointment
Facing a tooth removal can be stressful, but our compassionate team is here to support you every step of the way. If you have a tooth that’s causing you pain or has been recommended for extraction, contact us today. We will ensure your tooth extraction is handled safely and comfortably, and we’ll help you plan for restoring your smile afterward so you can maintain excellent oral health.
Benefits of Extracting a Problematic Tooth
Relieve severe pain
Stop the spread of infection
Stop the spread of infection: If a tooth is badly infected (such as an abscessed tooth) and cannot be saved, removing it prevents the infection from spreading to neighbouring teeth, your jawbone, or other parts of your body. In some cases, extracting one problematic tooth can save the health of your other teeth.
Protect adjacent teeth & overall oral health
Protect adjacent teeth & overall oral health: Impacted or overcrowded teeth (for example, wisdom teeth or an extra tooth) can push against and damage neighbouring teeth. Removing these can prevent future alignment issues and preserve the integrity of your smile. Additionally, in preparation for orthodontic treatment, strategically extracting certain teeth can alleviate crowding and allow your remaining teeth to be properly aligned.
Aftercare and Replacing a Missing Tooth
After extraction, we provide detailed aftercare instructions to ensure proper healing. This includes how to manage any bleeding, control swelling (apply cold compresses to the cheek in 10-minute intervals), and what to eat (stick to soft foods and avoid using a straw for a couple of days). We’ll also advise on pain management, typically with over-the-counter pain relievers or, if needed, prescription medication. Most extraction sites heal - within one to two weeks for you to resume regular eating habits, with the bone and gum tissue continuing to remodel for a few months.
If the extracted tooth leaves a gap, we will discuss tooth replacement options with you, such as a dental implant or a bridge to restore the function and appearance of your smile. It’s often beneficial to replace missing teeth to prevent others from shifting and to maintain proper chewing function.
Wisdom Teeth Removal in Calgary
Wisdom teeth, or third molars, are the last set of teeth to erupt, typically appearing in the late teens or early twenties. For many people, there isn’t enough room in the jaws for these extra molars, which can lead to problems. At Buffalo Run Dental, we provide wisdom teeth removal to prevent and alleviate issues caused by impacted or overcrowded wisdom teeth. Our dentists have experience gently extracting wisdom teeth, including those that are partially erupted or impacted, and we offer sedation options to make the procedure as comfortable as possible.
Why remove wisdom teeth? Wisdom teeth often come in at awkward angles or fail to emerge from the gums fully. They may press against neighbouring molars, potentially causing pain or shifting your other teeth out of alignment. Partially erupted wisdom teeth can trap food and bacteria under a flap of gum tissue, leading to painful infections (pericoronitis) and swelling. In some cases, a cyst can form around an impacted wisdom tooth, potentially damaging the jawbone or adjacent tooth roots. Common signs of wisdom tooth trouble include jaw pain at the back of your mouth, tender or swollen gums around the area where a wisdom tooth is trying to erupt, difficulty opening your mouth, or a bad taste/odour from infection around a partially erupted tooth. Even if you aren’t experiencing symptoms yet, dentists often recommend removing wisdom teeth proactively in young adulthood, since the teeth’s roots are not fully formed and the surrounding bone is softer, making extraction easier and recovery faster at that stage.
What to expect during wisdom tooth extraction: Our dental team will first conduct an examination and take a panoramic X-ray to evaluate the position of your wisdom teeth. This helps us determine the complexity of the extraction. On the day of the procedure, we ensure you’re comfortable – we will thoroughly numb the area with local anesthesia, and if you’re anxious, we can provide sedation (such as nitrous oxide “laughing gas” or oral sedation) to help you relax.
For an impacted wisdom tooth, a surgical approach is necessary. The dentist will make a small incision in the gum tissue above the tooth. If bone is covering part of the tooth, a tiny amount of bone may be removed to access the tooth. The wisdom tooth may then be sectioned (cut into smaller pieces) to allow removal through a small opening. You may experience pressure or pulling during this process, but you should not feel pain from the anesthesia. Once the tooth (or tooth pieces) is removed, we will clean the area to remove any debris or infected tissue. In many cases, we’ll place a few dissolvable stitches to help the gum heal properly. Simple, non-impacted wisdom tooth extractions are more straightforward and may not require an incision or stitches – the tooth can often be removed like any other extraction if it’s fully erupted.
After the extraction, we will place gauze pads over the sites and have you bite down to help stop bleeding. We’ll provide detailed aftercare instructions before you go home. Expect some swelling and mild discomfort for a few days; this is normal after any surgical tooth extraction. To help with healing, use ice packs on your cheeks for the first 24 hours (20 minutes on, 20 minutes off) to reduce swelling, and take any prescribed or over-the-counter pain medication as directed. Stick to soft foods (yogurt, soup, smoothies, mashed potatoes, etc.) for the first couple of days and avoid straws, smoking or any spitting/rinsing-on day one (this protects the blood clot in the socket). Starting the day after surgery, gently rinse the area with warm salt water a few times a day to keep it clean. We will schedule a follow-up visit about a week later to check the sites and remove any non-dissolvable stitches if used.
Removing troublesome wisdom teeth can relieve pain, protect your healthy teeth, and prevent more serious dental issues in the future. If you’re experiencing pain from a wisdom tooth or if you are looking for an extraction, contact our team at Buffalo Run Dental. We will take excellent care of you by providing a safe, comfortable wisdom teeth removal so you can maintain a healthy smile.
