Tooth Removal: When Is It Necessary?

When was the last time you went to see your dentist in Edmonton? You are highly encouraged to see the dentist at least twice a year to help manage your oral health. During these times, the dentist will check your teeth and gums to ensure that they are in a perfectly healthy condition. When the dentist sees that there are potential problems concerning your teeth and gums, they will make treatment recommendations as they see fit.

A broken or a damaged tooth does not automatically mean tooth removal. The dentist will assess the damage and will try to fix it without other treatment options. They may decide to use a filling, a crown or perhaps even dental veneers. The treatment option depends a lot on the current condition of the teeth and the gums.

When is tooth removal the only option? It is when there is already too much damage to your tooth that no other repair option is possible. Tooth extraction can come with a little pain, depending on the extent of the damage. Its removal from the socket in the bone can put patients in pain, but the dentist can recommend pain relievers to help alleviate the situations. If not extracted, a broken tooth could lead to more dental problems, not to mention more intense pain.

Beyond the usual reasons of tooth extraction like tooth decay and tooth damage, here are the other reasons why dentists choose to extract a tooth instead of doing repairs:

• A new tooth is growing behind or in front of another tooth still in place. The growth of seemingly extra teeth is healthy, especially to kids who have yet to lose their baby tooth.
• A tooth extraction is also done on children when they don’t lose their baby tooth, and the permanent tooth is about to grow out of place.
• Patients of dental braces may also be submitted to tooth extraction to help the remaining teeth to move in place.
• People who are undergoing radiation treatment is the neck, and the head may also be subjected to tooth extraction because the tooth is in the way of the radiation.
• Patients who have been diagnosed with cancer may also be required to get their tooth extracted. The cancer treatment weakens the immune system making teeth more susceptible to infection. Infected teeth may be extracted to keep the other healthy ones in good shape.

Tooth extraction may be the only option in these situations, but it still helps to ask your dentist for other options. They may have suggestions you would like to try.