Tooth extractions are often needed when patients are experiencing overcrowding, advanced gum disease, damaged teeth, medical conditions, and deep infections that are beginning to spread.
Your Infection Can Spread to Other Oral Tissues
Infections in lower teeth can spread to tissues under your tongue and cause an infection called Ludwig's Angina. Infections in upper teeth can spread to sinus cavities, your cheeks, and even your eyes.
Tooth extraction offers a number of benefits. Most importantly, it reduces harmful bacteria that can damage your teeth and gums. Left untreated, a decayed or damaged tooth can wreak havoc on your smile, causing a domino effect of problems. Removing your affected tooth gives you the best chance for optimal oral health.
Wisdom teeth are usually only removed if they cause problems, or are likely to in the future. There are no scientifically proven health benefits of pulling wisdom teeth that don't cause any problems.
Many dentists lack the experience and the skill to remove difficult teeth. Teeth that have had root canals, have long roots, or are ankylosed (fused) to your bone tissue are nightmares to take out for a lot of dental practitioners.
Impaction, tooth decay, periodontal and gum disease, trauma, or tooth overcrowding are all reasons a dentist may recommend a tooth extraction.
Teeth with long or curved roots
It is generally harder to remove a tooth with multiple roots such as molars, especially if they have curved, crooked or hook-like roots.
When should a tooth be extracted? When a tooth becomes infected, damaged or decayed beyond repair. If a tooth cannot be repaired with a crown or dental filling because of trauma caused by an accident or extensive decay, tooth extraction may be your only option.
The average American adult loses 12 permanent teeth to decay, injury, or gum disease by age 50! Here at Pragma Dental OKC, we see this more than you may think. This is also more than a cosmetic issue; missing teeth can weaken your jawbone, impact your bite, and make it much harder to chew and talk.
Your wisdom teeth — or third molars — are your last set of adult teeth to grow in. They erupt between the ages of 17 and 25. Many people need to have their wisdom teeth removed to prevent pain, infection and other oral health problems.
These are all signs of poor oral health, which can be dangerous to your overall health. But can bad teeth kill you? While you won't die from the pain caused by an abscessed tooth or infected gums, poor oral health can lead to many deadly diseases.
It can lead to infections that can spread to the other parts of the body, it can increase your risk of heart disease and it can weaken your immune system. Good oral hygiene and biannual trips to the dentist are essential when it comes to keeping tooth decay away.
Tooth decay should not be allowed to go untreated for long periods of time. Minor cavities can grow into serious problems that result in permanent tooth damage in less than 3 months.
Long-Term Untreated Tooth Decay
If a cavity goes untreated for two years or longer, severe damage to the tooth is likely. You will notice discoloration around the tooth, swelling around the gums, and severe pain and sensitivity. The bacteria will probably have damaged the tooth root and pulp at this point.
Although deep tooth decay often leads to extraction, it is not the only solution. Several options, such as dental crowns, fillings, inlays, and onlays, can restore the tooth's structure, appearance, and integrity once the decay has been removed. However, in some cases, tooth decay does require extraction.
There are significant problems with living without teeth, but you can survive. Your brain, your internal organs, and a few other things are required to just survive, to be alive. Healthy teeth and a healthy mouth are essential to a good quality of life.
The procedure for extracting multiple teeth at once is a bit more complicated than a simple single tooth extraction. You can live without one or two teeth without major consequences, but losing several teeth at once requires the jawbone to be reshaped to prepare for a dental bridge or dentures.
There is nothing better than real, natural teeth – including dentures. When fitted properly, dentures can be a cost-effective tooth replacement, but they are not a one-time permanent solution. Dentures can shift, lead to bone loss, impact chewing and speech, and be uncomfortable at times.
Extracting or removing a tooth that has died is a relatively simple relatively painless form of treatment.
Is a tooth extraction painful? Not necessarily. While the extraction may hurt if you are under the effects of nitrous oxide, you should not be in excruciating pain. For more serious extractions, you will need stronger painkillers such as oral sedatives or anesthesia.
Typically, your oral surgeon will ask that you at least take about 48-72 hours to relax afterward so the treatment area is allowed to clot. After that, a patient should be able to return to normal physical activity. The soft tissue will usually fully heal in about 3-4 weeks.
If the extracted tooth doesn't have metal fillings, then the CDC requires it to be treated as infectious waste. The teeth are placed in a hazardous waste container and then incinerated once it's picked up at the dental office.