Tooth Extractions

There are various reasons your doctor or orthodontist may have referred you to an oral surgeon for the extraction, or removal, of a tooth. Whether it is due to decay, poor placement, impaction, or more, our surgeons, Dr. Del Valle and Dr. Shahgoli, at Manhattan Maxillofacial Surgery Group can help. We ensure that the tooth is entirely removed with care in an atmosphere that is sterile. We can handle the difficult extraction cases and prepare the patient for the next step in their restoration process, including preparing the area for possible placement of a dental implant, or simultaneously placing a bone graft.

Types of Extraction

Extraction can be classified in two categories, simple and surgical. The differences between the two are as follows:

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Simple Extraction: A simple extraction is a non-surgical extraction. In order to perform a simple extraction, the tooth must be fully erupted, or exposed. Our surgeon is able to fully place his tools around the tooth because it is not broken or impacted. He will then loosen the tooth using an instrument called an elevator. With the tooth loosened, he will then use forceps in order to lift and remove the tooth. In a simple extraction, the tooth lifts in one piece and is fully removed from the socket.

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Surgical Extraction: A surgical extraction is more complex. This type of extraction needs to be performed if the tooth structure is compromised or if the tooth is not fully erupted, or if it is partially or completely impacted. Surgical means that the surgeon will need to make tissue cuts in order to retrieve the entire tooth. In some cases, we may need to quarter the tooth, break it into sections, and remove it section by section. A surgical extraction tends to take more time and the healing may take more time.

What may seem like a non-surgical extraction can quickly turn into a surgical one, as what may originally be thought of as easy proved to be more difficult.

Bone Graft

When a patient loses a tooth, from injury or extraction, it is important to their dental future to consider the placement of a bone graft as quickly as possible. Over the first year following the loss of a tooth, your jawbone will pull in, or atrophy, up to ⅓ of its natural size. This loss in density is what gives patients the appearance that we so commonly associate with old age. The process of a bone graft sounds more severe then it is. A tooth socket bone graft is simply placing miniscule particles of bone material from one of three sources, your own bone, donated bone, or synthetic bone in the spot and then suturing it closed to allow for healing.

Our surgeons, Antonio Del Valle, DMD, MD and Shahin Shahgoli, DDS, provide treatments, including both simple and surgical extractions, in an environment that places the safety of our patients first. We use the latest in modern equipment, along with a staff that is trained and experienced in anesthesia techniques to reduce or even eliminate your discomfort. For more information on some of our equipment, including the Cone Beam CT scanner, and the 3D images that we are able to produce here in our office, or for more information on dental extractions, contact our front office staff at: (212) 245-5801