You would probably agree that of all the different dental procedures, tooth extractions are the most dreaded. Having a tooth pulled, a procedure which is technically termed as exodontia, means that the tooth will have to be extracted from its socket, which is found in the jaw bone. Luckily for you, Alliance Family Dental in Fayetteville, NC will try to exhaust every option possible in order to salvage the tooth- even if it is simply for cosmetic purposes. However, if even a root canal procedure cannot save a severely decayed tooth, then an extraction is inevitable.
When does an extraction become necessary?
Extraction can be the only option in the following scenarios:
Severe dental trauma. When the tooth in question has become so decayed or cracked that repairing the tooth is no longer an option, then extraction may be the only recourse. One source of dental damage is when one has an existing gum disease which eats up the supporting gingival tissue so that the tooth no longer has any surrounding structure which can keep it in place.
Malocclusions. While bite problems can be corrected with the help of orthodontic appliances, a tooth which is positioned in a part of your mouth that renders it non-functional is better off being extracted. A tooth is considered useless when there is no opposing tooth which it bites against.
Orthodontic requirement. As previously mentioned, bite problems are corrected with the help of orthodontic braces. However, Dr. Barber may need to extract a number of teeth in order to free up space and allow teeth to have the space it needs to move into its proper positions. This may be the case when you are suffering from overcrowding of teeth.
Excess teeth. Supernumerary teeth or extra teeth may actually block other teeth from emerging because they are in their place, which makes it necessary to remove the excess teeth.
Medications and therapy. In certain cases, it becomes necessary to extract a tooth especially when one is scheduled to undergo a certain type of medication or therapy. For instance, individuals who are scheduled to undergo an organ transplantation are required to take immunosuppressive medications in order to prevent the host’s antibodies from attacking the transplanted organ. This will make the patient susceptible to certain infections which will make it pertinent to remove teeth which have a high chance of developing an infection such as those with existing cavities. The same thing goes for people who are undergoing chemotherapy.
Schedule an appointment with Dr. Barber and Alliance Family Dental to discuss your dental needs. He is the premiere dentist in Fayetteville, NC and will work hard to help you reach your dental goals.
Fayetteville NC dental services