Ideally, you want to preserve as much of your natural smile as possible. But in some instances, a dentist will recommend pulling a tooth in order to protect the rest of your smile and maintain your good oral health.
This oral surgery involves a dentist cutting into the gum tissue to pull the tooth from its socket. You can anticipate some downtime to recover from this procedure. But you can also rest assured that your dentist will prioritize your comfort through each step of this process.
You might wonder about the scenarios in which extracting a tooth will be necessary. A dentist can explain details about your specific oral health needs when you schedule a dental consultation. But you can also read on to learn about three common reasons why a dentist will recommend a tooth extraction procedure.
Impacted Wisdom Teeth
A majority of people have wisdom teeth, a third set of molars that begin growing through the gums after puberty, hence the name. Though common, the human diet has evolved to the point we do not need these extra teeth. As a result, the human jawbone is often too small to accommodate wisdom teeth.
These wisdom teeth can therefore create complications for the rest of your smile when they start to grow. They also frequently get stuck in the gums, a condition known as impaction. Not only can this become very painful for the dental patient, but it puts them at a high risk of infections as well.
For this reason, a dentist will recommend the extraction of impacted wisdom teeth. They can remove one or all affected teeth in one procedure if needed.
Overcrowding in the Mouth
Wisdom teeth can prove problematic because the mouth is too small for them to grow properly. But sometimes overcrowding can develop in the mouth without wisdom teeth growth as well. If you have a small jaw or large teeth, you might have trouble completing oral functions because there is little room in the mouth.
This could lead to poor oral behaviors, like mouth breathing, that may increase the danger of gum disease and other oral health issues. You may also feel self-conscious if overcrowded teeth make your smile crooked. Improve your oral health and your smile aesthetics with a tooth extraction to treat overcrowding.
Extensive Tooth Damage
A dentist might also suggest the extraction of one or more teeth if said teeth have suffered extensive structural damage. Cases of advanced tooth decay may warrant this dental solution, for instance. A dentist can treat a cavity, an early form of decay, but advanced cases may require more invasive treatment.
A dentist can use a dental crown rather than a filling to restore a tooth’s health after eradicating high amounts of decay. But if decay reaches too deep into the tooth, then the dentist may need to remove it to stop it from spreading to other teeth.
The dentist may also extract a tooth if it suffers a fracture that extends to the root of the tooth. It will be at risk of infection and no surface treatment like a crown could protect it from further harm.