Here's Why Pulling Teeth at Home Is Not a Good Idea

Here’s Why Pulling Teeth at Home Is Not a Good Idea

You probably remember pulling your own teeth at home when you were a kid. It was an exciting experience, especially with the idea that a tooth fairy will come to visit you while you sleep and reward you for being brave enough to have them removed.

However, pulling teeth at home is not recommended by many experts. Resorting to DIY tooth extraction to remove a painful adult tooth can do more harm than good in the long run.

Century Dental recommends that adults avoid removing a loose tooth or extracting one for someone with a serious toothache. Instead, schedule an appointment with our dentists, and we will help you find the best tooth extraction method that is safe and successful.

If you are in intense pain and tempted to pull your teeth, pause a while, and let us explain how pulling your own teeth will make the problem worse.

When Is Pulling Teeth Necessary?

Tooth extraction has been performed since the 14th century to prevent dental problems and treat various medical conditions. By then, a wide variety of instruments had been invented to address specific dental conditions.

Today, dentists and oral surgeons perform a tooth extraction to:

  • Remove damaged tooth caused by physical trauma or decay.
  • Align the teeth before another dental procedure.
  • Prevent infection from reaching the nerves and blood vessels of the mouth.
  • Prevent the spread of diseases that may affect the tissue and bones around the teeth.

Keep in mind that only professionals with years of training and experience perform extraction procedures with the utmost care, using appropriate instruments in a sterile environment. The success of tooth extraction is based not only on teeth removal but also on avoiding infections.

Why Pulling Teeth at Home Is a Bad Idea

The main reason is infection. Your hands or the tools that you would use collect bacteria that can cause cavities and severe damage to your teeth.

No matter how urgent it may seem to be, pulling your teeth is never a good idea. Here are some other reasons why:

1. Pulling teeth out at home causes intolerable pain.

Since you are not using anesthetics, pulling your own teeth at home can cause excruciating pain. Many say that drinking alcohol or ice can numb the pain, but it won’t stop the nerves in your mouth from being sensitive to it.

Before pulling your tooth, the dentist or oral surgeons will give you proper anesthesia. It is a less painful procedure than pulling teeth at home. You may want to consider this first before trying at-home tooth extraction.

2. Pulling teeth out at home can cause permanent dental damage.

Even if you intend to pull just one of your teeth, an at-home extraction may accidentally lead you to damage other parts of your teeth, including your gums and jaw. Worse, you could hit nerve endings, permanently damaging your teeth.

Even if you successfully remove a tooth without professional help, it can still get infected, regardless of any after-care done.

Your dentist can help you take the necessary step to prevent the spread of infection to your mouth. But this does not mean that you should pull your teeth at home whenever you want.

3. Pulling teeth at home can result in more expensive procedures.

It is cheaper to maintain good dental health with regular visits to your dentist than to spend money on dental surgeries because of a hazardous DIY solution.

Attempting to remove a tooth yourself is detrimental to your dental health and wallet. Treating potential damage such as shattered teeth, a fractured jaw, or infected gums requires complex and expensive procedures.

4. Your dentist can do it for you.

Dentists can still rescue damaged teeth, but you might not know it if you don’t let them check your teeth first. An aching tooth doesn’t always mean it should be removed.

Any experienced dentist knows that there are other factors to consider before proceeding with tooth extraction. In some cases, they can stabilize the tooth without having to perform a complex dental procedure.

Apart from that, loose teeth may be a symptom of an underlying dental problem that only dentists can find, like severe gum disease.

If you observe the following signs of gum disease, please visit your nearest dentist right away:

  • Swollen gums that are often red and soft
  • Sensitive gums that easily bleed
  • Chronic bad breath or halitosis
  • Unusual gaps between the teeth
  • Gum tissue pulling back from the tooth surface

Leave It to Century Dental

While pulling teeth at home for babies is expected in certain circumstances, it is not for adult teeth; they are not supposed to get loose or fall out. Always see a professional, regardless of its cause; they know what’s best for you and your dental health.

Our dentist in St Pete Beach, FL, is always here for patients with dental needs. If you think you need to get a tooth extracted, don’t do it yourself. Book an appointment with Century Dental, and let the professionals do it for you.

Dr. Abdullah M. Allawnha

Dr. Abdullah M. Allawnha

Dr. Allawnha, born in New Orleans and raised in Windsor, Canada, earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Windsor. He worked as an ER nurse in Detroit, Michigan, before moving to Morgantown, West Virginia, to become a dentist. He completed his Doctorate of Dental Surgery (DDS) degree from West Virginia University School of Dentistry while still working as a nurse until he graduated.

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