Tooth Extractions in Bethlehem, PA

Dr. Lambert performs simple tooth extractions himself at Always About Smiles, our Bethlehem, PA dental office. If you’d rather be asleep for it, or a tooth is impacted and needs general anesthesia, I arrange an immediate referral and stay involved in what happens afterward.

Removing a tooth is not the end of a plan; in my sequence it is often the beginning of one. This stage may involve extractions of hopeless teeth, gum treatment, or root canals to ensure that teeth, bone, and gums are healthy. This step is both preventative and corrective, and it prepares a solid foundation for any dental care that follows.

Simple extractions are done at our own office, with local anesthetic and, if you'd like it, nitrous oxide or a mild sedative. Two things go elsewhere: a patient who would rather be asleep for the appointment, and an impacted tooth that needs general anesthesia. I'm a general dentist and I arrange specific and timely referrals myself rather than handing over a phone number.

The conversation about what replaces the tooth happens before it is removed, because the answer sometimes changes the way it is removed. An implant, a bridge or a partial denture each ask for something different, and the bone under the space matters to all of them. Patients come in from Nazareth for that plan to be laid out once, completely, in one conversation.

Because it has gone beyond what can be repaired or held. Decay can reach too far below the gum, a fracture can run too deep to restore, and irreversible infection of the gums can set in and teeth become loose and must be removed. I'll show you what I am looking at and tell you honestly whether keeping it is realistic.

Yes, and that is my instinct rather than my fallback. The healthiest thing we can do is the least amount of dental work possible, and a tooth of your own is worth working for. Where a root canal, a crown or gum treatment can reasonably keep it, I'll offer that first and tell you what each option asks of you.

A simple extraction is quoted before the appointment, and if a replacement is planned you get that figure at the same consultation rather than later. We're fee-for-service, we file your claim for you, we're good at it, and we'll push to get you reimbursed. Financing is available, and paying by cash in advance carries a 5% discount.

Not at our office — where a patient wants to be asleep, I refer out to a practice equipped for it, and I'll set that up for you. What I do offer in the office is local anesthetic that is pH-buffered before it is given, nitrous oxide, or a mild oral sedative. With a mild sedative you'll need someone to drive you to and from the appointment.

A wisdom tooth that has come through and can be reached is often a straightforward extraction I do myself. An impacted one that needs general anesthesia is referred out, and I'll tell you which yours is after looking at an x-ray. Either way the referral and the follow-up are arranged from the office.

Most people are comfortable within a few days and back to normal food inside a week. You'll go home with written instructions and a number to call, and I'll want to see you again to check the site has closed over properly. Soreness for the first day or two is expected, and it settles.