When there is too much damage for the tooth to be repaired it needs to be extracted. A very loose tooth also will require extraction if it can't be saved, even with bone replacement surgery (bone graft). At HDS we perform both types of extractions:

• A simple extraction is performed on a tooth that can be seen in the mouth. The tooth is loosened with an instrument called an elevator and is then removed with an instrument called a forceps.
• A surgical extraction is a more complex procedure. It is used if a tooth may have broken off at the gum line or has not come into the mouth yet. A small incision (cut) is made into your gum. Sometimes it's necessary to remove some of the bone around the tooth or to cut the tooth in half in order to extract it.