If you are going to the family dentist, either for a usual checkup and cleaning or for tooth pain, you may not expect to be told one of your teeth needs to be extracted. However, if your family dentist recommends tooth extraction, there is always a good reason. Get to know some of the reasons your family dentist may be recommending that you get a tooth extracted. Then, you can better understand the situation and better decide if you want to allow your family dentist to extract your tooth.
You Have an Infection
One of the main reasons that your family dentist may be recommending tooth extraction for you is that you have a severe infection in your tooth. Tooth infections can go on fairly unnoticed for a while. They can cause pain, but if that pain is not severe, most people tend to ignore it until it gets bad or until their next dental appointment.
While this delay goes on, the infection can grow and get into the soft inner part of the tooth, known as the dental pulp. Once the tooth is so infected that even the inner layer is affected, it is often necessary to extract the tooth to get rid of the infection. Antibiotics alone usually just won't cut it (though they are sometimes necessary for addition to tooth extraction).
You Have a Major Crack
If you have cracked your tooth, your family dentist may also recommend a tooth extraction. Major cracks in the teeth are often not repairable. Minor cracks are those that just affect the chewing area of the tooth, but major cracks are those that extend down into the tooth, even reaching down into the root. These cracks simply cannot be filled and repaired.
In such cases, tooth extraction is the best option. Cracked teeth can be quite painful. They are also susceptible to infection because the inner part of the tooth is exposed and it is impossible to clean the tooth sufficiently to prevent bacteria from getting into the crack.
Your Teeth Are Not Aligned
Misalignment is a problem that many people have with their teeth. Their teeth may be too big for their mouth, for example, leading the teeth to get crowded and pushed out of alignment. For cosmetic reasons and for functional reasons, your family dentist may recommend tooth extractions to you as a way to help transform your smile and your teeth.
The family dentist can remove the offending teeth and replace them with dental implants or other tooth replacement options that fit your mouth better, giving you a better smile, but also helping in the process of correcting misalignments.
Now that you know a few of the reasons a family dentist may want to extract your tooth, you can better decide if a tooth extraction is the right option for you and your dental needs.
Every time you take a bite of food, you should be grateful for your healthy teeth! A tooth can lose its health and structure quickly once decay sets in. Luckily, if you visit your dentist for regular appointments, the decay should not get too serious before your dentist notices it and can do something about it. That "something" is applying a filling. On the other hand, if the decay progresses too long before it is caught, you may need a crown or even an extraction.
We want to keep our teeth, and we know you want to keep yours. That's why we created this website to teach you more about dentists and dental care. Enjoy!