While it is best to preserve natural teeth, many reasons can necessitate tooth extraction. Sometimes a filling or crown is not enough to restore a tooth. The American Dental Association suggests the extraction of teeth that have suffered severe trauma, have extreme tooth decay or disease, or are crowding the surrounding teeth. It is also normal for patients to have an extraction or two before orthodontic treatment.
Many tooth extractions are relatively simple and performed in-office. For teeth that are visible about the gum line, we will numb the extraction site and remove the tooth with forceps. Broken or impacted teeth require a more involved procedure.
According to the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, gum disease is the most common cause of tooth loss in adults. Gum disease occurs when bacteria get below the gum line and causes infections. Without treatment, oral bacterial leads to gum recession, damage to the jawbone, loose teeth, and even tooth loss.
Research has also shown chronic dental infections can cause inflammation that contributes to cardiovascular disease, stroke, and many other related diseases. While a root canal can often save a tooth from decay, sometimes a tooth is beyond saving due to lost structure and stability. Tooth extraction can prevent damaging decay and infection from spreading.
In some cases, it is beneficial to have crowded or impacted teeth extracted. Impacted wisdom teeth do not have enough room to grow. Extraction can prevent pain, infection, and other dental problems. While not all wisdom teeth need removal, it is necessary once they start causing problems. In some cases, wisdom teeth do not fully break through the gums and can cause crowding issues. A partially erupted wisdom tooth is especially susceptible to cavities.
Patients may also need teeth extracted before receiving braces. Orthodontics involves the process of properly aligning the teeth, which may be tough without enough room. Crowded teeth increase a patient’s risk of developing gum disease and cavities. Extracting teeth can relieve crowding and impacted teeth.
Typically, the first option to restore a damaged tooth is a crown or filling. If the damage is too severe, trying to save a tooth may put oral health at further risk. A filling may put the tooth at risk for shattering, while a tooth may not be strong enough to support a crown. Root canals are also not possible when there is too much tooth damage.
Each tooth has a limit to how many times it can be worked on before it starts to fail. Redoing a crown or root canal only buys so much time. After several fillings, crowns, and root canals, there will not be much of the tooth left to save. At that point, tooth extraction is the best option to maintain oral health.
