Have we come to the point where extraction is uneccerasy?

Skill Magill

I miss the teeth I got extracted, I remember the dentist leaning with his knee on my chest, waggling the tooth out I wonder now whether it was necessary, do we have better means of saving teeth?

davo10

Skill Magill wrote: »

I miss the teeth I got extracted, I remember the dentist leaning with his knee on my chest, waggling the tooth out I wonder now whether it was necessary, do we have better means of saving teeth?

Yes, if the tooth is restorable root canal treatment and a crown is an option albeit more expensive than an extraction.

ComfortKid

Any time I've had a problem with my tooth it was either an extraction (€70) or some expensive work like root canal or capping that I couldn't afford.I've only literally a few teeth left now. Find it very hard to eat anything like steak or bacon.

btkm8unsl0w5r4

For many decades now extractions have been unnecessary (except in a few rare circumstances) and going without replacement teeth has been unnecessary. However advanced dental work costs money that people are often unwilling or unable to spend.

No, no dentist every put their knee on your chest. It would be of no mechanical advantage and has never been done in the history of dental treatment except in cartoons and as retold by lads in the pub.

Skill Magill

George Curved Jockey wrote: »

For many decades now extractions have been unnecessary (except in a few rare circumstances) and going without replacement teeth has been unnecessary. However advanced dental work costs money that people are often unwilling or unable to spend.

No, no dentist every put their knee on your chest. It would be of no mechanical advantage and has never been done in the history of dental treatment except in cartoons and as retold by lads in the pub.

fair enough, it was defo kneeling into the arm of the chair though and waggling the tooth out, I bled for a day or two after.

henryporter

Just had one pulled last week - had to be sacrificed to get access to the back of a bridge that had some decay on the supporting root - plenty of cracking and straining but no knee in the chest. Bleeding stopped that night (gum was a bit torn up). Will think about an implant but given the location (right at the back) maybe no point - apparently weaker jaw bone back there compared to the front?

Oral Surgeon

Skill Magill wrote: »

I miss the teeth I got extracted, I remember the dentist leaning with his knee on my chest, waggling the tooth out I wonder now whether it was necessary, do we have better means of saving teeth?

Off the point op but did that knee of the chest maneuver really happen??!! As someone who takes out 100-200 teeth a week, I have never paused mid procedure and thought mmmm if I put my knee up on the patients chest I'd get this job done quicker....
It's something that I find hard to beleive!!!

Skill Magill

Oral Surgeon wrote: »

Off the point op but did that knee of the chest maneuver really happen??!! As someone who takes out 100-200 teeth a week, I have never paused mid procedure and thought mmmm if I put my knee up on the patients chest I'd get this job done quicker....
It's something that I find hard to beleive!!!

I can still remember the device they had attached to the tooth, it was ike a cage, that was wrapped around the tooth, and then waggled out. (and this would have been 30 yrs ago)

Gatling

Strange enough I've had to go down the multiple extraction route over the last few months and had to get partial dentures not by choice but after years of suffering a sever phobia of dentists or anyone examining my mouth .
My fear came from an incident in the mid 1980's
Which affected my for for best past of 25 + years .

Now my dentist who looked after me recently was amazing only felt one incident of pain having a root pulled but multiple extractions and 2 fillings over several weeks ,
One thing I hate is dismissing people's bad experiences .that could have never have happened in some cases did happen and it still effects years later .
But I'm extremely happy that things have moved on since my early experience.
Just wish I could have more of my own natural teeth .
But I now smile and laugh openly where up until recently I couldn't do either.

Apologies if I've spoiled your thread op or took it off topic

Big_G

I don't think anybody posting in here would ever belittle or dismiss somebody having a bad experience. What we are dismissing is 'the knee in the chest'. We can understand the emotions and fear surrounding a bad experience but I don't know if any of us have a full understanding about how this error in memory occurs regarding the knee in the chest. I've never seen it happen, never heard a colleague discussing the use of the knee, never seen it discussed in the scientific literature, it provides no mechanical advantage. It does not happen. What we can theorise is that during extractions, a patient cannot really see what is happening below their level gaze and cannot see their chest. They may remember a pressure in their chest from an adrenaline release and remember this as a knee in the chest. But it wasn't a knee in the chest.

Then if we know this doesn't happen, we must contradict this version of events because it feeds into the fear of dental phobics, and some of the myths about going to the dentist that might prevent people from accessing treatment in a timely manner.

digzy

Skill Magill wrote: »

, I remember the dentist leaning with his knee on my chest, waggling the tooth out I wonder now whether it was necessary, do we have better means of saving teeth?

Sorry op. But I don't believe that rubbish!