MASTERING SURGICAL EXTRACTIONS

Surgical extractions are a fundamental part of general dental practice, but knowing when to proceed, how to plan the surgery and when to refer can be just as important as the extraction itself.

Mastering Surgical Extractions is a two-day practical programme designed for general dentists who already have basic extraction experience and want to improve their surgical confidence, technique and case selection.

Led by Specialist Oral Surgeon Dr Thao Truong, the course takes clinicians through the complete surgical extraction workflow, from medical and radiographic assessment through flap design, bone removal, tooth sectioning, root retrieval, wound closure and complication management.

Day One builds the foundations of safe surgical extraction.

Day Two progresses into third molar surgery, minimally traumatic extraction techniques, implant-site considerations and management of surgical complications.

The programme combines focused lectures, clinical demonstrations, case-based discussion and extensive hands-on training using surgical models and animal tissue.

The goal is not simply to teach dentists how to remove more difficult teeth. It is to provide a systematic framework for deciding which cases to treat, how to approach them safely and when referral is the better decision.

This course is designed for general dentists with basic extraction experience who want to:

• Improve confidence with surgical extractions
• Better assess surgical difficulty before treatment begins
• Improve case selection and referral decisions
• Develop predictable flap design and soft tissue handling
• Use surgical handpieces and burs more effectively
• Improve bone removal and tooth sectioning techniques
• Manage fractured roots more systematically
• Improve suturing and wound closure
• Perform more minimally traumatic extractions where future implant placement is planned
• Better assess and manage wisdom teeth
• Recognise, prevent and manage common surgical complications

By the end of the two-day programme, participants should be able to:

• Assess surgical difficulty and recognise when referral is appropriate
• Identify relevant anatomical, medical and radiographic risk factors
• Plan and perform common surgical extractions using appropriate flap design, bone removal, tooth sectioning and closure techniques
• Select and use appropriate surgical instrumentation
• Manage fractured and retained roots using a structured approach
• Assess third molars and determine appropriate GP versus specialist management
• Perform minimally traumatic extractions where preservation of the socket and future implant placement are important
• Understand the principles of socket and wound management
• Recognise, prevent and manage common extraction complications

A substantial component of both days will be dedicated to practical surgical training.

Participants will practise techniques including:

• Surgical incision and flap design
• Mucoperiosteal flap elevation
• Soft tissue retraction
• Bone removal
• Tooth sectioning
• Creation of purchase points
• Root retrieval
• Management of fractured roots
• Surgical handpiece techniques
• Third molar surgical principles
• Minimally traumatic extraction techniques
• Socket inspection and management
• Suturing and wound closure

Practical exercises will utilise a combination of surgical models and sheep heads to simulate real surgical scenarios.

Teeth will be prepared and fractured in selected exercises to allow participants to practise structured root retrieval techniques in a controlled environment.

Course learning objectives, principles of safe surgical extraction and understanding the limits of surgical treatment within general dental practice.

Review the anatomical structures most relevant to extraction surgery and understand how anatomy influences surgical planning, technique and risk.

Develop a systematic approach to medical risk assessment including:

• ASA classification
• Anticoagulants and antiplatelet medications
• Diabetes
• Cardiovascular disease
• Immunosuppression
• Renal and hepatic disease
• Pregnancy
• Smoking
• Allergies
• Antiresorptive and antiangiogenic medications
• MRONJ risk
• Steroid use and adrenal suppression
• Antibiotic prophylaxis considerations
• Recognising patients better managed in a hospital or specialist environment

Understand when to use:

• Periapical imaging
• OPG
• CBCT

Learn how to assess root morphology, surrounding bone, surgical access and high-risk anatomy while developing a systematic approach to predicting surgical difficulty.

Most importantly, learn how to decide:

Treat or refer?

Understand surgical setup and appropriate use of:

• Elevators
• Luxators
• Forceps
• Surgical handpieces
• Surgical burs
• Irrigation
• Retractors
• Root picks

Explore principles of controlled force, creating a path of withdrawal and avoiding unnecessary trauma.

Learn when and how to convert from a conventional extraction to a surgical approach.

Topics include:

• Incision design
• Flap design
• Mucoperiosteal flap elevation
• Bone removal
• Creating purchase points
• Tooth sectioning
• Root separation
• Fractured-root retrieval
• Choosing the appropriate surgical handpiece and bur

Review:

• Socket inspection
• Debridement
• Irrigation
• Haemostasis
• Flap repositioning
• Suturing
• Post-operative instructions

A step-by-step surgical extraction demonstrating the principles covered throughout Day One.

Participants will work through the surgical extraction sequence:

Flap design → flap elevation → bone removal → tooth sectioning → root retrieval → socket management → suturing

Hands-on exercises will incorporate surgical models and animal tissue.

An interactive series of clinical and radiographic cases integrating:

• Medical status
• Surgical anatomy
• Imaging
• Difficulty assessment
• Surgical planning
• Referral thresholds

Develop a systematic framework for assessing third molars.

Topics include:

• Indications for removal
• Eruption and impaction patterns
• Predicting surgical difficulty
• Inferior alveolar nerve assessment
• Coronectomy principles
• CBCT indications
• Maxillary sinus considerations
• GP versus specialist management

Review surgical techniques including:

• Flap design
• Bone removal
• Tooth sectioning strategies
• Mandibular third molars
• Maxillary third molars
• Avoiding excessive surgical force
• Inferior alveolar nerve considerations
• Lingual nerve considerations

Understand what happens to the alveolar ridge following extraction and how surgical technique may influence future restorative and implant treatment.

Topics include:

• Preservation of the buccal plate
• Soft tissue preservation
• Periotomes and luxators
• Sectioning multi-rooted teeth
• Avoiding unnecessary socket trauma
• Management of ankylosed roots
• Management of fractured roots
• Principles of extraction when future implant placement is planned

A practical demonstration highlighting surgical planning, controlled bone removal, tooth sectioning and preservation of surrounding structures.

Practical training using surgical models and sheep heads.

Exercises will include:

• Surgical bone removal
• Tooth sectioning
• Fractured root retrieval
• Third molar techniques
• Minimally traumatic extraction
• Surgical handpiece utilisation
• Flap management
• Suturing

Understand how to recognise, prevent and manage complications including:

• Persistent bleeding
• Root fracture
• Tuberosity fracture
• Oroantral communication
• Root displacement into the sinus or surrounding soft tissues
• Inferior alveolar nerve injury
• Lingual nerve injury
• Dry socket
• Post-operative infection
• Trismus
• Soft tissue injury
• Mandibular fracture
• Aspiration and swallowing of surgical materials

Consolidation of the two-day surgical workflow followed by interactive discussion and final Q&A.

Event venue & nearby stays

The Australasian College of Dental Practitioners, 60 Archer Street, Chatswood, Australia

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