Our permanent teeth were meant to stay with us all our lives right? But, some situations arise where the doctor has no other option but to extract your tooth. Although your dentist might be able to save your tooth in other ways, sometimes a tooth extraction is the only way out.
Here are the top 7 reasons why a tooth extraction is the only way out in a particular situation:
- Extreme case of tooth decay: Your dentist will try to fix your tooth decay with the help of fillings or crown. Fillings are used when a tooth is damaged as it helps in restoring it to its previous normal condition by repairing the tooth. A crown is used when your tooth structure is compromised. It covers the tooth from the gum line to the surface. But, in some cases damage to the tooth is beyond repair and all that can be done is a tooth extraction.
- Impacted wisdom teeth: From 17 to 25 years of age, wisdom teeth start emerging out of the gum line. Wisdom teeth or third molars cause no problem to some people while others have issues like extreme pain and swelling in which case the dentist recommends wisdom teeth removal. Dental x-rays will show if the wisdom teeth are coming out in an impacted pattern. Wisdom teeth extraction is also carried out in case there is not enough jaw space to accommodate it.
- A compromised immune system: When a person goes through organ transplantation or a chemotherapy, the body’s immune system weakens to a terrible extent and is more vulnerable to infections. In such a case, a tooth which is likely to get infected in the future needs to be removed if the dentist says so.
- Advanced Periodontal Disease: This is a form of gum disease where gum lines recede along with the formation of several pockets around the teeth. It is an irreversible disease but your dentist can slow down the progression of the disease with the help of root planning and scaling. The gum tissue keeping the tooth in place gets infected and there is not much left of it to hold the tooth. In this case the tooth becomes loose and the dentist has no other option but to extract it.
- Crowded teeth: Your jaw is meant to fit up to a certain number of teeth. If you have more teeth than your jaw can fit, a tooth extraction is carried out. Many people get a tooth extraction done to achieve a straight smile.
- A stuck baby tooth: As a child grows up, adult teeth begin to replace the baby teeth. Sometimes a baby tooth does not fall out the way it is meant to gets stuck. The adult tooth tries to grow through the gum but the baby tooth is stuck and obstructs its path. In such a situation the baby tooth needs to be extracted safely. A baby tooth should never be removed by use of force as it may damage the roots of the tooth and cause immense pain to the child.
- A fractured tooth beneath the gum line: A lot of impact is absorbed by our teeth when we chew on food. An improper bite can cause the back teeth or lower molars to get fractured. If in a situation a tooth has fractured beneath the gum line, there is no other option but to extract the tooth.
A tooth extraction might seem like a painful option but it actually helps in bringing relief to you by getting rid of the immense pain you were going through because of a fractured tooth, tooth decay or severe cavities. The extraction of a single infected tooth is better than risking the others and risking your entire smile as a whole. It is very important to protect the surrounding teeth in case of an infected tooth. A tooth extraction brings you comfort if you are dealing with an infected tooth that is causing pain. It is the best method to go for when you have run out of all the other options of saving your teeth. A happy smile is very important so it is very important to conserve it.