Wondering when a tooth extraction may be necessary?
When you were a kid you probably couldn’t wait to lose a tooth. Perhaps you even found yourself playing with that wiggly tooth in the hopes that it would fall out sooner. Of course, once we get older and our permanent teeth come in, we want to do whatever possible to maintain these beautiful teeth; however, in some instances, it may be better for your smile if our Tuscaloosa, AL, dentist Dr. Kimberly Parker actually removes one or more teeth.
You may benefit from a tooth extraction if,
You have impacted wisdom teeth
Wisdom teeth are the third set of molars to come in, and they usually appear around your teens or early twenties. Of course, most of the time these teeth do not erupt properly. That’s because our jaws are just a little too small to accommodate these teeth. In this case, wisdom teeth often come in crooked or impacted (meaning that they don’t fully erupt through the gums).
Impacted wisdom teeth leave an opening in the gums where bacteria can enter, which can lead to decay or a severe infection. In this situation, your Tuscaloosa, AL, general dentist will recommend having these teeth removed.
You have crowding and are about to undergo orthodontic treatment
Are you about to get braces to fix your crowded smile? If your teeth are severely overcrowded or overlap each other, your dentist may recommend having one or two teeth pulled in order to make room in your mouth so that braces can effectively shift teeth around. This can also make orthodontic treatment more efficient, meaning that you won’t have to wear your braces as long.
You have a severely damaged tooth
If you don’t see your dentist for regular checkups it is possible that you could have a cavity and not even know it. Unfortunately, a cavity that isn’t properly treated can continue to spread deeper into the tooth. If this happens, this can kill the tooth. At this point, it’s important to remove the tooth to stop the infection or decay from spreading into neighboring teeth, the gums or even the jawbone.
You have severe gum disease
Advanced periodontal disease causes damage to the gums, bone and ligaments, which causes the gums to pull away from the teeth. As a result, teeth can become loose and even fall out. While we may be able to reattach some teeth, in some instances the only option is to extract the loose tooth, get your gum disease under control and then place an artificial tooth.
If you are dealing with impacted wisdom teeth or have other concerns about the health of your teeth, don’t hesitate to turn our Tuscaloosa, AL, family dentist today. Call Tuscaloosa Family Dental at (205) 722-7550 for a proper dental evaluation.
