Given the choice between saving a tooth and having a tooth pulled, virtually all dentists and patients alike would prefer to save the tooth. But there are certain situations in which tooth extraction is the best option. What follows are some of the most common reasons why a tooth is pulled:
- Extensive decay – If you have a tooth that is severely decayed, your dentist may not be able to save the tooth by some other means, and you may have to have the tooth extracted. Now for the good news: it typically takes quite a long time for a tooth to develop this level of decay. In most instances (especially in first-world countries, where people have greater access to regular dental care), a decayed tooth can be saved by a filling, a crown, or a root canal. But if you’ve avoided going to the dentist for several years, or if you haven’t been able to go to the dentist due to circumstances that are beyond your control, you may have one or more severely decayed teeth that can’t be saved.
- Gum disease – Gingivitis (early stage gum disease) and periodontitis (late stage gum disease) are an all-too-common problem in adults inside the US. If you have gingivitis, the condition can usually be reversed with a deep cleaning, followed by a daily at-home oral hygiene regimen. But if you have periodontitis that has been left untreated for a long period of time, your teeth may become loose due to this advanced stage of gum disease. Once this happens, your dentist will have no choice other than to extract the teeth.
- Impacted teeth – If you have wisdom teeth that are currently in the process of erupting, you can very easily develop an impacted tooth. This condition occurs when a tooth doesn’t fully erupt through the gum line. Once this happens, the tooth may come in at an angle, may cause overcrowding of other teeth, or may become infected. Often, a dentist will recommend that an impacted tooth be removed to avoid these other problems from occurring.
- Overcrowded teeth – If a patient has too many teeth for the size of his/her mouth, the orthodontist may recommend extracting one or more teeth to allow for the remaining teeth to be repositioned into a better, more natural alignment.
- Broken teeth – If a patient breaks a tooth very near or at the gum line, the dentist may have no choice but to extract the tooth. This is because a certain amount of natural tooth needs to be available in order to restore the tooth or attach a crown. If an inadequate amount of tooth remains, the dentist won’t be able to use these other methods to restore it, and it will have to be pulled.
Tooth extraction may not sound appealing, but it’s a common procedure that isn’t nearly as daunting as it may sound. Contact your dentist for more information.
