Dangers Of Extracting Your Own Teeth At Home

Dentist Blog

Is it wrong if you extract your tooth at home? Say you have a troublesome molar, and you don't have the necessary insurance or money to go to the dentist. Can you take a pair of pliers (or a gentler tool) and yank it off at home? Sure you can, but the risks of taking such an action far outweigh the main benefit of saving money. These dangers include:

Infection

You risk getting an oral infection if you extract your own teeth. For example, you can't guarantee the:

  • Sanitary conditions of the extraction environment – you will probably do it in your bathroom, which is awash with germs.
  • Cleanliness of the extraction tool
  • Extent of pre or post operation sterilization – for example, do you have the right antibiotic rinses such as chlorhexidine?

A dentist, on the other hand, will extract your teeth in a clean environment and give you the right treatments to prevent an infection.

Damage to Surrounding Tissue

How the extraction site looks after the offending tooth has been removed depends a great deal on the skills of the person doing the extraction. As amateurs, you don't have any skills to speak of, so you are likely to leave considerable damage in your wake. For example, removing your tooth forcefully may damage your gums. The extraction tool may also cause chips and cracks on the adjacent teeth. Dentists aren't isn't likely to make such mistakes: they have the right tools to ensure that only the damaged tooth is extracted, and all other tissues are left intact.

Unbearable Pain and Complications

Tooth extraction is fraught with complications, and the likelihood of experiencing these complications rises with the decrease in skill levels of the person handling the extraction. For example, you may end up breaking your tooth or removing only some of its parts. Such an incidence can be very painful, especially in a home setup without appropriate emergency precautions. For one, dentists have access to painkillers that you may not get over the counter. You may even end up losing a lot of blood in the process.

If you ever find yourself tempted to extract your tooth on your own, you should resist the temptation and explore other safer alternatives. For example, you can talk with your dentist about a payment plan or shop for discounted rates from dental clinics. Whatever you do, your objective should be to get your tooth extracted by a professional dentist such as Dr. Henry A Cathey.

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24 November 2014

Dealing With Dental Dilemmas: Soft Teeth and Dental Care

Being born with naturally soft teeth, I've spent a lot of time in and out of the dentist's office. Not only have I learned a lot about basic dental care, I've also discovered many tips for dealing with broken teeth, extractions, implants, and more. I decided that I wanted to make the most of my experience by sharing what I've learned with others. True first-hand experience is a great teacher, and I knew that my story could help. I created this site to do just that, and I hope that the information here helps you to understand what to expect from your dental problems.