A Tooth is extracted for several reasons:

• When tooth decay destroy the tooth
• Destruction of tooth structure or bone around tooth area due to infection.
• To create space for other tooth or teeth in the mouth.

One of the most common tooth extractions is extracting an impacted tooth. An impacted tooth is a partially erupted tooth. This is highly recommended due to bacteria entering around the tooth infecting gum tissue, consequently reaching the bone and bring some serious consequences to the rest of the mouth. An impacted tooth continually tries to force its way up through the gum tissue, causing damage to the roots of the rest of the teeth close to it. Extracting an impacted tooth can prevent a lot of future damage to the mouth.

Procedure of a tooth removal

Don’t worry your dentist won’t just start yanking on your tooth, a through review of your medical history  will be done and take X-rays.

Once X-rays are done, your dentist will be able to see and examine the length of the root of the tooth, also how is shaped, position of the tooth and bone around it. This information will help the dentist decide whether to extract the tooth himself/herself or require the expertise of specialist such as an oral surgeon.

Extracting a tooth is done with out pain. The area is numb by a local anesthetic that is applied a few minutes before the procedure is going to take place.

After a few minutes have passed and the anesthetic has taken its effect your dentist will use an instrument knows as elevator to loosen the tooth, then carefully will pull it out with the help of dental forceps. After the tooth has been extracted the doctor may decide to smooth and re-contour the underlying bone. Once the procedure is completed your dentist may decide to use stitches to close the area left open by the extracted tooth.

What should I expect after tooth extraction?

Preventing infection in the area is very critical and it must be kept clean from the beginning, therefore your dentist will provide you with a dry sterile gauze, you will be advise to bite down on it for a period of 30 to 45 minutes to help with bleeding until clotting occurs. At least for 24 hours, you should avoid smoking cigarettes, rinse vigorously, or clean the teeth adjacent the removed tooth area.

After this type of oral surgery it is very common to have some pain. You should be able to manage the discomfort by taking over the counter pain killers. You may also ask your dentist to prescribe a pain killer for you. To complement lessening the pain also use an ice pack for short periods at the time. Strenuous activities should be avoided as well as hot liquids and using a straw for sipping.

After 24 hrs of tooth extraction you may begin a treatment of rinsing your mouth gently with salt water (be careful not to swallow). The pain and discomfort should subside after a period of 3 days to 2 weeks. Should prolonged pain, swelling, bleeding or fever occur, call your dentist as soon as possible.

A beautiful smile will many times open doors for individuals. Who does not like to see an unforgettable smile? Having white teeth makes people smile more often, with more confidence, conveys positive gestures and emotions etc. Many people find better jobs, or meet some one of the opposite sex just by smiling, but when the teeth lose their natural white which we are born with, and become yellow or stained we seem to be more conscious when we smile and lose all the benefits our smiles may bring.

Teeth whitening have become very popular and so many products have sprung into the market that promise to give you a white smile. However it can do more harm than good if these products are not used properly.

Since we are all unique individuals our teeth color also vary from person to person. There is about 16 different shades  of teeth color that range from white to brown. Although only the most noticeable ones are white, gray, yellow and brown, it is very important to identify what the actual shade of  color our teeth have, because this will tell what caused the color deterioration and how to go about treating it.

The main reason our pearly white shade goes away is when the teeth are constantly dry, the absence of moisture in our teeth often makes them lose the whiteness that makes our smile sparkly.

It is important to first know the cause of the origin or color deterioration of the teeth, which can be caused by many factors such as trauma to the teeth, long dental work, bad habits among others such as:
- Smoking cigarettes, nicotine is a substance that irreversibly stain the teeth.
-Consumption of Illegal drugs.
- Excessive fluoride content in water in some places.
- Genetics.
- Excessive consumption of coffee, soy sauce, raisins, curry, tea or red wine.
-Acidic foods.
- Liver disease.
- Normal aging.
- Stains caused by trauma.
- The consumption of some medications such as tetracycline, an antibiotic used many times for the control of acne.