Tooth Extraction
When a tooth has severe decay and or bone loss (periodontal disease), a comprehensive diagnosis needs to be performed. Often a tooth with severe bone loss can be salvaged with bone regeneration procedures to reconstruct the lost bone supporting the tooth. This analysis to verify whether the periodontal condition lends itself to periodontal regeneration should always be determined by a periodontist. A periodontist is the dental specialist for bone reconstructive procedures around teeth. Too often teeth are removed without the consult of a periodontist and tooth removal is an irreversible procedure.
Traditionally tooth removal is a traumatic procedure that can result in pain, poor healing, damage to adjacent teeth and delay a patients life from returning to normalcy. Most of the time pain, poor healing, slow recovery and certainly damage to adjacent teeth can be avoided with proper techniques. Traditionally teeth are removed by general dentists, periodontists and oral surgeons. Each practitioner uses different techniques and the knowledge they have to accomplish this treatment.
Advantages of Periodontal Micro Surgical Tooth Removal
- Non traumatic to adjacent bone, gum and adjacent teeth
- Little to no Pain
- Patients immediately return to normalcy
- Faster healing
- Less complications
- Less need for being “knocked out” with IV sedation
- Visualization of tooth root anatomy and the path of least resistance for removal
Tooth extraction with periodontal microsurgery vs. traditional techniques
Using a microsurgical approach to tooth removal is very different from all other techniques. With increased magnification, illumination, smaller instruments and piezo technology tooth removal can be a non traumatic procedure, with little to no pain, swelling, and discomfort. When a clinician has better vision, the shape of the tooth root can be clearly seen and the subtle movements of a root can be appreciated. A tooth can be carefully reshapped under the microscope to allow for easy tooth or root removal along the path of least resistance (as appreciated under the microscope).
Microscope assisted Piezo technology can also make a tiny space between the root and bone to aid in minimally invasive tooth removal. Too often clinicians employ much pressure “pulling out a tooth” or decide to perform gum surgery to gain better access to a broken down tooth. Although it may take less time to remove a tooth this way, it is the most traumatic method. Except for impacted wisdom teeth, all teeth can be removed without cutting the gum tissue and with little pressure exerted on the surrounding bone, gum or adjacent teeth. This results in a pain free tooth removal and patients can immediately return to normalcy.
About Tooth Extraction Surgery
Using local anesthesia the tooth site is completely numb. We use the Wand anesthetic devise which is virtually a pain free injection. All patients have been very impressed with this pain free “shot”. Teeth that have been condemned to extraction are usually very broken down or fractured. Often roots are curved and teeth with multiple roots often have complex root anatomy with all roots traveling in different directions. If a tooth cannot be removed in one piece (which is often the case), the tooth root or roots are sectioned and or reshapped to allow for easy root removal. This process is greatly facilitated and more precisely achieved with periodontal microsurgical techniques. Piezosurgery uses a vibration technology which causes minimal damage to surround structures. Dr. Kissel uses the most recently developed generation of piezo technology. This technology helps create a small space between the root and bone. Then very small instruments can enter this space and carefully move the root out in the path of least resistance.
