One of the most frequent reasons for having to extract a tooth is because it’s a third molar (or wisdom tooth) that’s become impacted and is unable to erupt properly. Surgically extracting the molar helps eliminate the discomfort that it causes and protects the rest of your oral health from further complications. However, being impacted isn’t the only reason why a tooth might need to be extracted. Today, we examine a few others, and why extracting the tooth may be the best thing for the future of your oral health.
The tooth can’t be restored or saved
If a tooth becomes compromised, the preferable solution is usually to restore it. This not only addresses the problem, but allows you to retain your healthy, natural tooth structure, which is typically the best option for your oral health. However, a tooth may become compromised so severely that it no longer retains enough healthy structure to restore, or exhibits damage that can’t be fixed, such as a severely fractured root. The fact that the tooth can’t be saved means it can also pose a significant threat to your oral health if it remains. To reduce or eliminate this threat, we might suggest extracting the tooth as soon as possible and, if necessary, replacing it.
An oral or facial injury makes it necessary
Dealing with oral and/or facial trauma is an important part of oral surgery, and the extent of every patient’s condition can be unique. While not all cases of trauma involve damage to your tooth structure, some do. Others may involve damage to the supportive jawbone structure that support your teeth, making the dental ridge unable to continue retaining all of your teeth. Whether traumatic injury severely damages your tooth or compromises its supportive structures, extracting the tooth may be part of your overall treatment to recover from the trauma.
It’s needed to correct your bite alignment
The alignment of your teeth plays a vital role in the overall balance of your bite, and as such, it’s important to your bite’s ability to function properly. In many cases of tooth misalignment, the solution is to correct your teeth with appropriate orthodontic treatment, or with orthognathic surgery. If a tooth is more severely misaligned than the rest, however, it might interfere with the success of your bite correction, and extracting it might be necessary to facilitate your treatment.
Learn if your tooth needs extraction
Aside from an impacted wisdom tooth, there are other reasons why a tooth might need to be extracted to preserve the rest of your oral health. To learn more, or to schedule a consultation, call Santa Rosa Oral Surgery in Santa Rosa, CA, today at 707-545-4625.
