From brushing and flossing to eating well and visiting your dentist often, maintaining your mouth, teeth, and gums does not have to be overwhelming. Unfortunately, many people require involved dental care that could result in the removal of one or more teeth. Known as dental extraction, the removal of a tooth is a serious procedure that requires proper understanding. This guide will help you understand a few common reasons why patients need an extraction.

Decay/Infections

Decay is caused by food and bacteria that seeps into the tooth, resulting in an infection and pain that can wreak havoc on your oral health. In many cases, a root canal procedure is effective for removing infected pulp from the tooth, helping restore it back to a healthy state. However, there are instances where a root canal treatment is not effective, especially if the tooth is showing severe signs of decay.

To stop the decay from spreading from the infected tooth to adjacent teeth, an extraction is necessary. The extraction will not only stop the decay and infection – it is also an efficient way to stop the pain.

Wisdom Teeth

The appearance of a third set of molars is common in patients between the ages of 17 and 21. Known as wisdom teeth, these molars may start to erupt without any complications. Unfortunately, many patients experience numerous problems as their wisdom teeth erupt, which increases the need for a tooth extraction of these molars.

Pain is a common reason why extracting the wisdom teeth is necessary. As the wisdom teeth attempt to erupt through the gum tissue, they can become impacted, preventing them from fully erupting. This leads to pain in the teeth, gums, and jaw for most people.

Another reason why extracting the wisdom teeth is necessary is because they are overcrowding the mouth, pushing on other teeth, which could affect a patient's bite and their smile's appearance.

Overcrowding

Wisdom teeth are not the only teeth that may need to be removed because of overcrowding. Teeth that have erupted too close or on top of other teeth are not only cosmetic issues – they can also increase the risk of other dental problems.

For example, if your teeth are not lined up properly, brushing and flossing each area of all of the teeth would be difficult. Therefore, you may have an excessive amount of plaque and bacteria on your teeth, increasing the risk of decay and gum disease.

Extracting certain teeth can help create space to ensure that the smile is aligned properly.

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