Here at Harper Dental, we understand how painful it can be to deal with a tooth that’s become a hassle instead of serving its purpose. There are many situations that can make a tooth extraction necessary.
In this article, we’ll mention the causes as well as give you a rundown of the procedure we do here in Fort Smith.
What Can Make A Tooth Removal Necessary?
If your mouth is overcrowded, some teeth might need to be removed. This is especially applicable when we’re trying to prepare your mouth for orthodontic procedures.
Since we’re aiming to align your teeth properly, we need to make sure your teeth are the right size to properly fit in your mouth.
The same principle applies if your teeth aren’t able to erupt out of the gum because your mouth doesn’t have enough space for them. In this case, we would also recommend extracting the tooth.
In some cases, infection can reach the inner parts of the tooth, infecting the soft, sensitive pulp inside. This can often be corrected with a root canal, but if it’s too severe or if it wasn’t treated on time, tooth extraction, or removing the tooth, can help reduce the risk of the infection spreading.
We only choose this option if others are not suitable or unlikely to work.
Another case is when your immune system isn’t working at full capacities such as during chemotherapy or organ transplants. The risk of infection to a specific tooth might be enough to remove it to avoid major complications.
The final reason is gum disease. If the area that surrounds your teeth (gums, tissues, and bones) has become infected and is not supporting the tooth properly, it might be necessary to extract the tooth.
Procedure
In the first step for tooth extractions, we will use anesthesia to numb the area. If your particular case is severe according to our assessment, you might need medication for anxiety or a sedative.
In extractions of impacted teeth, the teeth might need to be broken into smaller pieces to remove it.
The procedure can either be simple or surgical, depending on the situation of your tooth. Simple extractions imply removing a tooth that is easily visible. It might be decayed or damaged, or it might simply be overcrowding your mouth. Simple extractions only require local anesthesia and our general dentist. Over the counter medicines will be indicated during your visit.
Surgical extractions, on the other hand, need to be performed by one of our oral surgeons and are needed when removing a tooth that isn’t visible at all, either because it hasn’t erupted or because it’s broken.
Depending on your assessment, you might need general anesthesia for this procedure and will be needing prescription medication.
Except for wisdom teeth, any other extracted tooth should be replaced by a tooth implant to help prevent bone loss and keep your mouth functioning as usual. Thus, extracting a tooth is only the first step towards improving your overall oral health.
For more information about dental extractions and to schedule an appointment, call the experienced professionals here at Harper Dental at (479) 431-0280 today!