How Does Tooth Removal Vary?

As an oral surgeon, I want to share with you a question that I often get asked, “If you’re just removing a tooth, isn’t it just the same thing over and over again?” Well, it really isn’t the same thing over and over again. It’s actually a very delicate procedure. We’re basically removing a tooth from a housing of bone that’s connected to a ligament and that tooth can have different shapes.

Teeth can be arranged in different sizes and the location of a tooth can significantly impact the importance of replacing that tooth so removing a tooth is a lot more than just taking the tooth out. Anytime we remove a tooth, we want to do it in a way that minimizes any sort of injury to the adjacent tissue or adjacent bone so that you preserve that area to have a replacement placed if that’s indicated. It’s also about understanding when a certain procedure is necessary and what type of procedure should be done. So, it may sound like removing a tooth is just that removing a tooth but there’s a lot more that goes into it. What’s most important is that the person taking care of you understands that there’s a lot more that goes into it.