Tooth Extractions

Neglecting your dental health can lead to severe problems like tooth decay, gum problems and even loss of teeth. If not treated in time, the tooth is often untreatable and needs an extraction.

To help alleviate any anxiety that surrounds tooth extraction, let’s learn about the process.

What Is Tooth Extraction?

When a healthy, broken or rotten tooth or teeth are removed from a patient’s mouth, it is known as an extraction. The treatment is not as scary or painful as it sounds because it is performed under local anesthesia and seldom under general anesthesia.

Tooth extraction can be performed on children, adults, and even older people. Why does anybody need a tooth extraction when other dental treatments, like dental filling and root canal therapy, are available?

Reasons for tooth extraction:

There are many reasons for tooth extraction, such as:

• Tooth decay: When you ignore your oral health, bacteria can harbour in your mouth. These harmful bacteria attack your teeth, causing tooth decay. If tooth decay is in the initial stages, the dentist can restore the tooth with a dental filling. However, as it advances and damages the inner layers of the tooth, especially the dental pulp, it will need a more invasive treatment like a root canal or tooth extraction. 
• Broken, chipped, or fractured tooth: Accidents are unforeseen and unfortunate. They can result in dental injuries. If a tooth suffers from a deep fracture or breakage, it may not be salvageable and needs to be removed.  
• Gum problems: Neglecting your oral health damages your teeth and can also make your gums go bad. Moreover, gum problems like bleeding, mobility and infection can eventually require removing a nearby healthy tooth. 
• Wisdom tooth removal: This is one of the most common reasons for tooth extraction; when your wisdom tooth comes out in the oral cavity (around 18-125 years of age), it can be painful. In addition, if it is not in the right position, it will damage neighbouring teeth. Hence, the need for a tooth extraction.
• Risk of infection: Some people can get an infection in their mouth due to dental or gum-related problems. The infection can spread if other dental treatments and medication do not resolve the condition. This is why; the dentist will recommend removing the tooth causing the infection to preserve your oral health. 
• Other dental treatments: People, often kids, have crowding in teeth. That is when the jaw is small, and the person has more teeth than the jaw can accommodate. Therefore, the patients may need corrective dental treatments like dental braces and often require tooth extraction to resolve the crowding issue.

What will happen if you do not get a tooth extraction?

If a dentist says you need a tooth extraction, you need it. Things will only get worse if you ignore the treatment recommendation. This can happen if you do not get a tooth extraction:                             

• Your dental health will worsen.
• You will suffer from dental pain that will increase in intensity.
• The infection will spread to other parts of the mouth.
• Gum bleeding and sensitivity will increase.
• It will get challenging to eat and even speak. 
• Teeth will become lost.
• Bone loss will occur in the jaws.

If you notice tooth decay or worsening pain in your mouth, contact your dentist immediately to schedule a visit. If you think you need a dental extraction due to pain, or to create space before getting orthodontic treatment, contact us today to schedule your visit.