Biological Extractions
A tooth extraction is the complete removal of a primary or a permanent tooth. An extraction can be surgical or non-surgical, depending on the difficulty of the extraction, whether or not the tooth is impacted or erupted, and whether it has straight or curved roots. An extraction may be done at our office, or patients may be referred to an oral surgeon (someone who specializes in difficult or surgical extractions).
Typical reasons for a tooth extraction are:
- A root-canaled tooth that has chronic infection in the surrounding bone.
- Advanced periodontal disease.
- An abscessed tooth that cannot be saved.
- A tooth with deep decay that causes the nerve to become irreversibly inflamed.
- A tooth that has broken at the gum line and cannot be restored.
- Impacted tooth (typically a “Wisdom Tooth”).
Root-canaled tooth causing infection in the jaw-bone.
After the tooth has been extracted, it is important that every effort be made to thoroughly clean the bony extraction-socket using hand and rotary curettage. This process helps insure proper healing of the extraction-socket and prevention of a cavitation. Cavitations (also called osteonecrosis) are areas of infected jaw-bone, and have been linked to chronic pain in the extraction area as well as underlying health issues. Ozone water is then irrigated into the socket and ozone gas is injected into the surrounding tissues. Additionally, patients are given the option of purchasing a homeopathic remedy (“Dental Pain” by DesBio) that is custom-made using our BioScan EAV System, to be taken post-operatively. All of this has been shown to help with the healing process as well as minimizing discomfort once the anesthetic has worn off.
After an extraction is performed, our dentists will discuss replacement of the missing tooth or teeth. If the space is left open, shifting of the remaining teeth could occur which can cause bite-changes. An extracted tooth may be replaced by a temporary or permanent bridge, an implant, or by a partial or complete denture. Anyone undergoing a tooth extraction can benefit from seeing Alex for acupuncture afterwards, as this therapy can greatly reduce pain and help the body re-connect disrupted pathways.
PRF (Platelet-Rich Fibrin)
At Natural Smiles, we offer PRF to help with proper healing after an oral surgery procedure. Platelet-Rich Fibrin (PRF) is a platelet concentrate prepared from a collection of the patient’s own blood, through a standard blood draw from the arm. About 2-6 small vials of blood are collected, and then put through a centrifuge, which creates a natural fibrin-based biomaterial prepared without anticoagulants or artificial additives. This PRF is easy to prepare, non-toxic, and very biocompatible. The fibrin is a reservoir of platelets and white blood cells that will slowly release growth factors at the surgical site for 7-14 days, and accelerate the natural healing process. These are the key factors for regeneration of the bone and maturation of the soft tissue.
