Five Important Reasons Why You Need Tooth Extraction

Five Important Reasons Why You Need Tooth Extraction

May 01, 2022

What is Tooth Extraction?

Tooth extractions are dental options whereby a tooth is removed from the dental socket. General dentists, oral surgeons, and periodontists perform tooth extraction procedures as part of their skills as dental professionals.

Our dentist in Billerica also performs tooth extractions to keep your remaining teeth healthy because it is the preferred option if all other techniques to preserve the tooth have failed. The dentist thoroughly checks your teeth, gums, and mouth before removing a tooth. They try their best to protect your teeth, but if it is not possible, they ensure the tooth removal procedure is as painless as possible.

The dentist ensures that the tooth scheduled for extraction is entirely numb before removing it. They are specifically concerned about patient comfort when performing tooth removal procedures.

Types of Tooth Extraction

The tooth removal dentist performs two types of tooth extraction procedures. They are:

  • Simple Extractions: Visible teeth in the mouth usually require a simple extraction performed under local anesthesia.
  • Surgical Extractions: Whenever a tooth is challenging to access because it hasn’t fully emerged or lies broken below the gum line, the dentist performs a surgical extraction. During surgical removal, dentists must make incisions in the gums to elevate the soft tissues covering the tooth. They might even split the tooth into pieces facilitating its removal. Surgical extractions need more potent anesthesia.

Tooth removal is a last resort considered by a dental surgeon after the professional has exhausted other remedies to preserve it.

5 Reasons Why Dentists Recommend Tooth Removal

Here are the five important reasons why you need a tooth extraction:

Tooth Decay

Globally tooth decay is the most familiar reason for tooth extractions. The removal becomes necessary because patients avoid dental visits for exams and cleanings for years. Tooth decay needs several years to advance to a stage where tooth removal becomes essential. Initially, tooth decay affects the enamel and, after penetrating the enamel, erodes the dentin. Eventually, the decay reaches the soft center of the tooth, the dental pulp resulting in root canal infection. The longer patients avoid dental visits and wait to receive treatment, the more extensive the disease and deterioration. When tooth decay becomes excessively severe, making it impractical to save the tooth, dentists recommend tooth removal followed by restoration.

Gum Disease

Untreated gum disease is just as damaging as tooth decay. Advanced periodontal disease causes degeneration of the gum tissue, ligaments, and bone supporting the teeth. With the deterioration of the supporting structures, the teeth become loose. Eventually, gum disease causes teeth to fall out by themselves, or the dentist recommends extraction besides tooth replacement solutions.

Overcrowded Teeth

Patients undergoing orthodontic treatments to straighten teeth are recommended tooth extraction if they have a severely overcrowded mouth. The orthodontist treating the patient might recommend removing the extra teeth to make space for the remaining teeth to shift into alignment to ensure they sit close to each other. Tooth removal for overcrowded teeth is frequently performed on children and teenagers.

Impacted Teeth

Many people have impacted wisdom teeth erupting between 17 and 25 when insufficient space in the mouth doesn’t allow the teeth to emerge correctly. Furthermore, the human jaw isn’t large enough to accommodate the third molars. Impacted wisdom teeth are problematic and don’t allow people to maintain good oral hygiene, making them prone to tooth decay and gum disease. It is why wisdom teeth are recommended for removal by tooth extraction in surgical extraction.

Tooth Fractures

If a tooth breaks near the gumline where sufficient space of the visible tooth isn’t available to restore the tooth with dental crowns, dentists recommend tooth extraction to ensure the mouth’s bacteria don’t penetrate the tooth and cause infections that need expensive and painful treatments.

The reasons mentioned above don’t indicate that dentists don’t attempt to preserve your tooth. Instead, they use all remedies available at their disposal to save your tooth and only recommend extractions when the situation is beyond their control.

Tooth extractions are not a remedy but a technique to eradicate infections from your mouth to preserve your oral and overall health. You may worry about the gap you display in your smile and think you can avoid the tooth removal procedure. However, if you adopt the strategy, you risk losing more teeth and damaging your overall health. Therefore if your dentist recommends tooth removal for any reason, please accept the suggestion to undergo the procedure without delays.

If you are looking for tooth extraction in Billerica, MA, you can schedule a consultation with One Dental Care today!

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