Wisdom Teeth: Removal, Maintenance and Cavity Prevention

Signs You Need A Dental Extraction Procedure

Everyone loathes the idea of having their teeth extracted, but sometimes it's the only way to restore your oral health. Surprisingly, once dental problems creep up, the pain alone is enough to send you to the dentist. 

Once you are in the dentist's office, they'll examine your teeth and gums for potential problems. Depending on the problem, your dentist might recommend dental extractions as the ideal form of treatment. That said, what signs should tell you that a tooth extraction procedure is necessary?

Severe Toothache

Tooth pain is a common dental problem. Fortunately, it's possible to relieve tooth pain using painkillers. However, painkillers rarely work when you are experiencing severe tooth pain. If your tooth pain becomes unbearable, it can cause severe headaches and affect your productivity. 

As such, your dentist might have to extract the tooth, especially if there is no other way to stop the pain. In most cases, people experience severe tooth pain due to deep tooth decay and fractures. 

Impacted Wisdom Teeth

Wisdom teeth always erupt last, and sometimes they can give you nightmares. Once other molars have developed, they leave minimal space for the wisdom teeth to develop normally. However, that doesn't stop the wisdom teeth from growing. What happens is that they don't get enough room to erupt. 

As such, they end up growing horizontally and might even become infected. An impacted tooth is quite painful and can cause swelling around the jaw or bleeding gums. Unfortunately, impacted wisdom teeth need to be extracted to prevent overcrowding and infections.

Severe Tooth Decay

Tooth decay doesn't always warrant a dental extraction procedure. If you catch dental cavities or decays at an early stage, the dentist will fill them up. On the other hand, severe tooth decay is hard to correct, especially if it touches the roots. 

So don't expect root canals or fillings to solve tooth decay. The only viable solution is to extract the tooth. This way, you'll stop the decay from spreading and also alleviate pain.

Badly Broken Tooth

If your tooth is badly broken or chipped, your dentist might recommend a dental extraction procedure. Sometimes it's the only option, especially if the tooth cannot be filled or covered using a dental crown. This mostly happens when your tooth breaks off below the gum line. Instead of leaving the broken tooth exposed, your dentist will extract it. From there, you can choose whether to invest in a dental implant. 

Although these signs may indicate the need for dental extractions, the dentist is the only person who can give a definitive answer. 


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