For both the patient and the dentist, the first choice is always to save a natural tooth. However, there are times when removing the tooth is in the best interest of your current and future dental health. The following are common scenarios in which tooth extraction may be necessary:
- Severe Injury
- If too much of the tooth was damaged or broken off during a trauma or injury, the tooth may not be able to survive or provide proper functional benefits. These are cases in which a filling or crown is not enough to repair a broken tooth.
- Advanced Decay or Infection
- When decay or infection penetrates the inner portion of a tooth, a root canal can often save the tooth. However, there are times in which the decay is so advanced that even a root canal cannot help. It may then be better to have the tooth removed and replaced with a prosthetic tooth to prevent decay of neighboring teeth.
- To Alleviate Crowding
- It is common for patients to need tooth extraction prior to undergoing orthodontic treatment. This occurs when there is not enough jaw space to accommodate proper alignment of the teeth. Therefore, removing a tooth may relieve crowding and facilitate more successful orthodontic therapy.
- Impacted (Wisdom Teeth)
- Wisdom teeth are among the most frequently extracted teeth. This is because they have a high likelihood of becoming impacted due to lack of room to emerge properly. When these back molars get impacted, a host of serious dental issues can result, ranging from bite misalignment to painful jaw cysts.
If you have been told that you need to have a tooth removed, take comfort in the assurance that modern dentistry now provides exceptional ways to replace missing teeth. The procedure itself is carried about with local anesthetic and sedation dentistry to reduce discomfort. However, the psychological and health-related drawbacks of missing teeth can also be fully addressed with prosthetic tooth replacement. Dental implants, dentures and bridges can be used almost immediately after tooth extraction. Call Park South Dentistry today for painless tooth extractions and top quality restorations.
