Sometimes, even with all the benefits of modern dental care — getting a tooth pulled is the best treatment option despite preservation efforts. Understanding when tooth removal is needed can go a long way toward preventing the need for it in the first place.
The need for tooth extraction typically falls in one of these three categories:
1. Gum Disease
You may be surprised that gum disease is the most common reason that teeth need to be extracted. Gums that are weakened or inflamed may not be strong enough to hold a tooth or teeth in place.
Extraction is usually undertaken to limit the damage and prevent the need for more invasive treatment options down the road. Shorewood Family Dental Care offers restorative treatments to replace missing teeth as soon as we’ve cleared up the infection causing your tooth loss.
2. Tooth Decay
Tooth decay starts small but can become a big problem quickly if not dealt with in promptly. A minor bit of lost enamel eventually builds into a tooth-destroying nightmare without treatment.
Sometimes severe tooth decay can be treated with a root canal. If the deterioration has spread too far in a tooth, extraction is the best option to prevent the tooth from fracturing and causing further serious damage to surrounding teeth and gums.
There are also times when an infection spreads beyond the tooth and forms an abscess. If a root canal procedure can’t eliminate the infection, tooth extraction may be necessary.
3. Wisdom teeth
The eruption of wisdom teeth can be painful, especially if your jaw isn’t big enough to accommodate more teeth. Patients who don’t have room for their wisdom teeth can end up with partial eruptions or impactions that quickly become serious oral health risks.
Wisdom teeth that come in crooked or sideways push their neighboring molars out of position, which can affect your bite that causes serious pain. The further your teeth are pushed out of alignment, the more stress your jaw is under, leading to TMJ pain.
Shorewood Family Dental Care offers wisdom tooth removal in our office with a team you know and trust.
The Extraction Process
Tooth extraction is something we take very seriously. The process may seem scary, but we make sure you are comfortable every step of the way, which is why we offer several sedation options to make extractions a simple, fear-free affair.
We offer nitrous, oral sedation and even IV sedation depending on the needs of the patient and the severity of the extraction procedure. In the end, patients simply fall asleep, waking when the extraction is over.
Avoiding Extraction
We encourage you to take preventive dental care seriously by brushing twice a day, flossing nightly and always seeing us for regular checkups. With good consistent care, you’ll never need to worry about getting your teeth extracted.
If you’re concerned about getting a tooth pulled, don’t hesitate to contact us, your family dentist near Joliet. The earlier we see you, the better the chance you’ll keep that problem tooth! You can reach our Shorewood office at 815-725-5991 or you can request an appointment online. We look forward to seeing you soon!
