Myth #1: Once You remove a tooth, you will Continue to remove more teeth.

This is a popular myth that has prevented so many people from getting the needed dental treatment. I ask my patients jokingly: “Have you ever asked your dentist about what you can do to prevent tooth decay which can lead to tooth removal?

The truth is that most of us engage in habits such as taking excess sugar-rich diets which can predispose to tooth decay and eventually toothache. By the time most of us are coming to the dentist, the tooth is damaged beyond repair, in some cases, life threatening. So next time you visit your dentist, ask your dentist what you can do to prevent removal of more teeth. Make it an habit to schedule 6-monthly visit to your dentist who can detect tooth problems early and treat accordingly without tooth Extraction. Make it a routine to reduce eating of snacks especially between meals, brush twice daily. If you do all these, I can assure you that your chances of developing tooth decay will drop dramatically.


Myth #2: Tooth Extraction is Painful


Tooth Extraction is not generally painful as most people would want you to believe. Aside the pressure that you feel during removal and the ‘mosquito-like’ prick of the dental needle to numb the area where the tooth is to be removed. Once the tooth to be extracted is numbed using a special anesthetic agent, removing a tooth is a painless procedure. To be more practicable here, I remember removing a wisdom tooth for a female patient, she was like, “so what’s all these fuss about tooth extractions”. And really, if you go to a trained dentist, tooth extraction is a painless procedure.



Myth #3: Tooth Extraction is the Only Option


That is the widespread belief, once you have a severe toothache and you go to the dentist, that tooth/teeth must be removed. The truth is that there are other options available to treat a decaying tooth, one of such is the root canal treatment. This treatment removes all the dead tissues in the decayed tooth and the root is built back to function. Isn’t that amazing? Don’t go to a quack dentist, find your way to a teaching hospital or a good private dental clinic, tell them you want RCT. Removing a tooth is the last option when all other options can’t work.



Myth #4: Recovery takes a long time

People will tell you imaginary stories of people that have never recovered from tooth extraction. You can experience mild bleeding and sometimes swelling after tooth extraction, they are normal occurrences. The truth is that as early as a day after tooth extraction, you can return back to work. In exceptional cases, severe tooth infections in diabetics, cancer patients may prolong recovery from tooth removal.

https://dentalgist.ng/debunking-4-common-myths-about-tooth-extraction#