What makes a tooth extraction more difficult?

[Beccab213]

I may need to have two upper molars extracted due to an issue with my root canal treatment (performed 6-8 years ago). Is it much more complicated to remove root canaled teeth? I had an upper premolar extracted (no previous RCT) and it was quite easy. My anxiety is about pain, choking, and the noise during the extraction process. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[drhirst]

Hi Beccaba213,

There are pluses and minuses to the teeth being root filled when it comes to extractions.

Minus side is they can be more brittle, so may be slightly more likely to break during the extraction, which may mean there has to be a bit of noisy drilling which you do not like.

The Plus side is, that as the teeth have no nerves, it is much easier to numb the area, meaning you are much less likely to feel any pain during the extraction which is also one of your fears.

To be honest the difficulty of the extraction is more likely to be determined by factors other than the fact that the teeth are root filled. These factors are:

• the size and shape of the roots
• the thickness and density of the jaw bone and finally,
• the skill and experience of the dentist.

Removing root-filled teeth is a very common procedure and most dentists will be more than capable of doing it well.

Hope it all goes well,

Lincoln

 

[Natalie.emery]

Are smaller teeth easier to remove that molars . I’m due a removal tomorrow I’ve only had back molars and winsdom done and they’ve been a bugger. I’m really nervous I’m getting a bottom one removed 2 in from the front . I’m so nervous 😩

 

[Gordon]

As a rule of thumb, the less roots the tooth has the easier it should come out. Since front teeth have 1 root and molars have 2 or 3 (or even 4 sometimes!) then it should be easier.