From the moment your first tooth erupts as a child, your teeth are developing and changing. Whether they stay healthy, depends on how well you take of them. Permanent, adult teeth are meant to last a lifetime, but when tooth decay is present, it can lead to irreversible damage and potentially harmful infections if not treated properly.
Patients who experience a dental injury, a severely decayed tooth, or impacted wisdom teeth may require endodontic treatment such as root canal therapy or extraction to alleviate their pain and prevent oral health complications.
When Are Extractions Necessary?
One of the most common reasons for extraction is having a tooth that’s suffered too much damage from decay or trauma to be restored to health. Additional reasons for having a tooth removed include:
Tooth Pulp Infection – When damage and decay reach the tooth’s inner networks of nerves and blood vessels, called the pulp, bacteria can invade and cause an infection. Root canal therapy may be able to treat and save the tooth, but if it’s too severe, extraction can be required to prevent it from spreading.
Severe Infection – Sometimes other health issues require that a potentially infected tooth undergo extraction to prevent further problems in a patient with a compromised immune system, such as someone undergoing chemotherapy.
Overcrowding – Sometimes orthodontic or other dental treatments require tooth extractions to eliminate overcrowding in the smile. When overcrowding produces severe misalignment, tooth removal may be necessary to create the space needed for essential dental treatment.
Impacted Tooth – When a tooth is impacted in the gum and hasn’t erupted because of lack of room in the mouth, your dental professional may need to perform extraction to avoid damaging, infections, and crowding.
Gum Disease – If a tooth or several teeth have become loose due to gum disease and infection of the bones and tissue supporting the teeth, your dental professional may extract the teeth to help restore oral health.
What You Can Expect from Your Extraction Procedure
Your tooth extraction procedure will depend on the reason for removing the tooth. Before the extraction, your dentist administers a local anesthetic to numb the region, and if more than one tooth requires removal, your oral health team may use an anesthetic that prevents pain and ensures sedation. Your dental professional's primary goal during extraction is to make sure you remain comfortable and that the infected, impacted, or damaged tooth receives safe and complete removal.
With today’s advancements in dental treatments and procedures, there’s no need to worry about your smile if tooth extraction is needed. If you or a loved one suffering from a condition that requires extraction, contact our Norton, OH dental practice today!
Drs. Loren Raymond, Paul Rohrbach, and Dominic Hohman will work with you to discuss your treatment options.