Informed Consent | Extractions

An extraction involves removing one or more teeth. Depending on their condition, this may require cutting the tooth or gums or removing bone. If any unexpected difficulties occur during treatment, Dr. Pierson may send the patient to an oral surgeon, a dentist who specializes in extracting teeth and performing other surgical procedures.

Benefits and alternatives

The proposed treatment will help relieve the patient's symptoms and/or enable further treatment i.e.: space maintainers or orthodontics. There is no reasonable alternative treatment that will relieve the symptoms. Taking an antibiotic can help control an infection for a time but will not provide permanent relief.

Common risks for primary (baby) tooth extraction

  1. Bleeding, discomfort, and infection: Following treatment there may be bleeding, some discomfort, or infection. Usually this is minimal and short-lived. Simple pressure usually stops the bleeding, over-the-counter pain medication controls the discomfort and antibiotics may be given if infection develops.
  2. Damage to permanent teeth: Occasionally the forming permanent tooth may be damaged while the primary predecessor is being extracted. Every effort will be made to prevent this complication but it can happen without the knowledge of the dentist.

Common risks for permanent tooth extraction

  1. Bleeding, swelling, discomfort and infection: Following treatment the patient may experience bleeding, pain, swelling, and discomfort for several days, which may be treated with pain medication. The patient may also experience an infection following treatment, which would be treated with antibiotics.
  2. Dry socket: The blood clot that forms in the empty tooth socket may disintegrate or become dislodged, for example, as a result of smoking or drinking through a straw. This painful condition, called dry socket, lasts a week or more and is treated by placing a medicated dressing in the tooth socket to aid healing.
  3. Damage to adjacent teeth: In some cases, the instruments used in extracting a tooth can chip or damage adjacent teeth, which could require further treatment to restore their appearance.
  4. Opening into sinuses: With upper teeth, the roots sometimes extend up beyond the surrounding bone into the sinuses, the natural cavities in the bone behind the cheeks. Removing these teeth may temporarily leave a small opening into the sinuses. Antibiotics and additional treatment may be needed to prevent a sinus infection and help this opening to close.
  5. Bone fracture: Depending on the location of the tooth or teeth to be extracted, treatment may cause a fracture in the surrounding bone. In rare instances the tooth or teeth to be extracted may be fused to the surrounding bone. Both situations may require further treatment.
  6. Tooth fragments: Depending on the condition and position of the tooth or teeth to be extracted, tooth fragments may be left in the extraction site following treatment. Generally, this causes no problems, but on rare occasions tooth fragments become infected and must be removed.
  7. Changes to nerve sensations: The nerves that control sensations in the teeth, gums, tongue, lips, and chin run through the jaw. Depending on the tooth or teeth to be extracted (particularly lower teeth or third molars), in rare instances it may be impossible to avoid touching, moving, stretching, bruising, cutting or severing a nerve. This could change the normal sensations in any of these areas, causing itching, tingling or burning (called paresthesia) or the loss of all sensation (called anesthesia). These changes could last from several weeks to several months or in some cases, indefinitely.

Consequences of not performing treatment

This treatment will help to relieve the symptoms or enable further treatment i.e.: space maintainers or orthodontic treatment. If no treatment were performed, the patient would continue to experience symptoms or be blocked from further treatment.

Every reasonable effort will be made to ensure that the extractions will be done properly, although it is not possible to guarantee perfect results. By signing the consent form, you acknowledge that you have received adequate information about the proposed extractions, that you understand this information and that all of your questions have been answered fully.