Five Things You May Not Know About Extractions

Remember in old movies and cartoons, when people with toothaches would tie one end of a string to their tooth, and the other end to a door, and then slam the door shut? In addition to being an extremely painful (and ineffective) method of tooth extraction, this method became ingrained in the popular consciousness as a representation of how dentists perform the procedure: Harshly and painfully.

Fortunately, it's not true. But there's still a lot about dental extractions people don't know. Here are five of those things:

Extractions Don't Hurt. Sure, extractions are no picnic. And without any kind of anesthetic, getting a tooth extracted could be painful indeed. But dentists are skilled at administering painkillers, local anesthetics and sedatives. All you'd feel is some slight pressure. There will be some soreness afterward, but your dentist will likely prescribe a strong painkiller.

Extractions Need Not Be Permanent. Just because you're getting a tooth extracted doesn't mean you can't get some kind of replacement. Dental prosthetics have come a long way. You can get new teeth implanted, or you can get dentures. There's no reason to have a toothless mouth!

That Extraction May Not Be Necessary. Sometimes it's easy to assume that a particularly harsh toothache will lead to an extraction. But let your dentist be the judge, and don't let your imagination run away with your anxiety. You may only need a filling or a root canal.

Extractions Aren't Like You Think. The door-and-string method isn't really accurate, but you knew that. But nor is the dentist just going to yank and yank until the tooth comes out. There are several methods of tooth extraction, none of which involve doors or yanking, and all of which are relatively gentle.

Extractions Are More Common Than You Think. Ever hear of wisdom teeth? Even though most of us have our wisdom teeth removed when we're in our early twenties or late teens, we tend not to think of that procedure as a tooth extraction. But as it turns out, many of us have had multiple extractions, since most of us have four wisdom teeth (some of is have more!).