T
Tommy6789
Junior member
- Joined
- May 10, 2011
- Messages
- 17
- Location
- UK
I need to have a molar (lower jaw, position 7) extracted. It had been filled 20 yrs ago, but now (a) half the filling has crumbled away and (b) half of the surrounding tooth has also broken off, leaving a cave-like structure.
I'm slightly worried that when the dentist tries to loosen the tooth prior to extraction, the dentist will have nothing to get a good hard grip on, and perhaps if they try to get a grip on what little is left of the visible tooth, it will simply break, leaving nothing above the gum-line for them to pull on. What happens when this is the case? Do they cut open the gums as much as necessary, in order to get the tooth out? Will this take long, and will it be more uncomfortable and slower to heal, once the anaesthetic wears off?
I'm not scared of the basic procedure, having just had an (intact, unbroken, previously filled) molar extracted a few days ago. That extraction took 5 minutes and of course I didn't feel a thing. But looking at this other tooth, common sense tells me that my dentist is not simply going to be able to grip this broken molar with their pliars, the way they did to the intact one. Obviously some other techniques will need to be used. I would just like to have an idea of what to expect. I don't mind the dentist doing whatever he needs to do, I'm OK with that. But they don't always tell you in advance what to expect. I find that I'm not afraid so long as I have a rough idea of what to expect.
'Thank you' to anyone who replies.
I'm slightly worried that when the dentist tries to loosen the tooth prior to extraction, the dentist will have nothing to get a good hard grip on, and perhaps if they try to get a grip on what little is left of the visible tooth, it will simply break, leaving nothing above the gum-line for them to pull on. What happens when this is the case? Do they cut open the gums as much as necessary, in order to get the tooth out? Will this take long, and will it be more uncomfortable and slower to heal, once the anaesthetic wears off?
I'm not scared of the basic procedure, having just had an (intact, unbroken, previously filled) molar extracted a few days ago. That extraction took 5 minutes and of course I didn't feel a thing. But looking at this other tooth, common sense tells me that my dentist is not simply going to be able to grip this broken molar with their pliars, the way they did to the intact one. Obviously some other techniques will need to be used. I would just like to have an idea of what to expect. I don't mind the dentist doing whatever he needs to do, I'm OK with that. But they don't always tell you in advance what to expect. I find that I'm not afraid so long as I have a rough idea of what to expect.
'Thank you' to anyone who replies.