Your permanent teeth are meant to last you a lifetime, but sometimes there’s a “rotten egg” in the bunch, and it’s got to go. A common reason for extracting a tooth is when it’s too badly damaged, from trauma or decay, to be repaired.
At Hometown Family Dental Centers in Fayetteville, Raeford, and Vass, North Carolina, our expert team of dentists tries to preserve your teeth whenever possible. However, we also perform extractions, often on the wisdom teeth, if and when necessary.
But is tooth extraction safe? You bet, and here’s why.
We’ve already mentioned that a seriously decayed or broken tooth usually needs to go, but there are other reasons a tooth may need to be extracted.
Sometimes dentists pull teeth to prepare a patient’s mouth for orthodontia, where the goal of aligning the teeth may not be possible if your teeth are too big for your mouth. In the same way, if a tooth can’t break through the gum (erupt) because there isn’t room in the mouth for it, your dentist may recommend pulling it. This often happens with wisdom teeth.
Your teeth are covered with hard enamel, which protects the soft inner pulp, the tissue that contains the tooth’s nerve and blood vessels. If tooth decay or damage extends into the pulp, then bacteria in the mouth can cause an infection.
Often, you can correct the problem with root canal therapy (RCT), which removes the pulp but leaves the outer structure intact. However, if the infection is so severe that antibiotics or RCT don’t cure it, we may need to extract the tooth to prevent the spread of the disease.
If you have a compromised immune system (e.g., chemotherapy, organ transplant), even the possibility of developing an infection in a tooth may be reason enough to pull it.
Periodontal disease is an infection of the tissues and bones surrounding and supporting the teeth. Early symptoms may include sensitive gums and light bleeding when brushing. As the disease develops, though, the gums pull away from the teeth, loosening them. If so, we may have to remove the affected tooth or teeth.
Having a tooth pulled is usually very safe, even if we need to break the tooth up to reach all of it. As with any procedure, though, there are risks. First, the procedure can allow harmful bacteria into your bloodstream, leading to medical problems. Second, those bacteria can also infect gum tissue.
If you have a medical condition that puts you at high risk of developing a severe infection, you may need to take antibiotics before and after the extraction. Be sure to let us know your complete medical history, which medications and supplements you take, and if you have any of the following:
We consider all this information when deciding what to do with the tooth.
If your teeth are loose, trapped beneath your gums, or have serious decay, you may need an extraction to preserve your oral health. Call Hometown Family Dental Centers to learn more and to schedule.
