Dentist sending me to a specialist to get teeth extracted?!
Question:
Dentist sending me to a specialist to get teeth extracted?
I was at the dentist last week and I have to get a filling in a molar tooth, which is fine, but 3 of my wisdom teeth are very badly decayed, both on the top and one on the bottom and they need to be extracted.
The dentist showed me the x-rays and basically although the wisdom teeth don't look too bad on the outside, inside they're almost totally rotted away. The strange thing is, they don't hurt at all. Anyway, he says that if he tries to extract them the normal way, they are likely to break because they are so badly decayed inside, so he said he would refer me to a specialist to have them extracted.
What kind of specialist is he going to send me to and what will they do to get the teeth out? Will it still be under local anaesthetic or will I need to have an operation? I really don't want to have an operation!!
Answers:
The specialist your dentist will refer you to is an oral surgeon.
An oral surgeon is a dentist who has undergone additional training after dental school in complex surgical procedures involving the mouth and face (oromaxillofacial surgery, or OMFS), and they are very proficient at doing difficult extractions.
The majority of wisdom teeth can be extracted under local anesthesia (you stay wide awake, they just numb the area being worked on). If you are very nervous, then you can ask to be put under (conscious sedation or general anesthesia, depending on the situation), but it will cost you a lot more.
Hope this helps, and good luck.