Reasons for tooth extraction

Sometimes the answer to that question is yes, regardless of all of the dental treatments available today. The most common tooth extraction is wisdom tooth removal, but other reasons for tooth extraction include tooth trauma, crowding, and disease. Your dentist will consider all options available before settling on tooth extraction as the treatment of choice. In today’s blog your Lake Forest Dentist, Dr. Fondriest helps clarify the needs for tooth extraction.

Treatment Options

Today there are several treatment options that make it easy to save a tooth. Some are minimally invasive, others less so. When a dentist is faced with a broken tooth due to trauma, or a diseased tooth, they will consider available treatment options and weigh the pros and cons of extraction before moving forward. Depending on whether the tooth has been damaged or is diseased, the dentist may consider reshaping and contouring the remaining tooth, a dental crown, or in the case of disease, a root canal. For crowded teeth, on the other hand, removal is the only option.

Sometimes a tooth simply cannot be saved. It may be so damaged due to breakage or decay that there is little tooth left to save. Sometimes patients may ask for their tooth to be pulled because they think it is easier and cheaper. However, pulling a tooth can lead to other issues and end up requiring more expensive treatment. After having a tooth pulled you have a space in your mouth. Your other teeth tend to want to fill that space by shifting, which may cause crooked teeth and a misaligned bite. A misaligned bite can lead to temporomandibular joint disorder or TMJ. Also, once the tooth has been extracted it will still require an artificial tooth replacement to avoid these problems. Available treatments include a dental implant, a bridge, or a fixed or removable partial denture. In such cases, Dr. Fondriest can discuss options, procedures, and costs, and together you will design a treatment plan.

Why Choose Extraction?

Common reasons for tooth extraction include:

Infection: When bacterial decay eats through your tooth enamel and dentin reaching the pulp, infection may develop. Infection can kill the tooth, and/or it may spread throughout your mouth causing other issues and putting your other teeth and your oral health in danger.

Poor Health: A person’s health is an important consideration when deciding whether or not to extract a tooth, particularly when harmful bacteria reach the pulp. Your tooth pulp is an abundance of arteries supervising blood flow and can spread infection to other parts of your body. For people whose health is already compromised due to chronic illness such as heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, or cancer treatments such as chemotherapy or radiation, an infection can exacerbate their condition worsening their health. In such cases the dentist will likely try a course of antibiotics, but if they fail to heal the infected tooth, extraction will be the treatment of choice to protect the patient’s health.

Malocclusion:  In the case of tooth crowding and/or crooked teeth, either caused by or causing malocclusion, extraction is the treatment of choice.

Jaw Bone Deterioration: Periodontitis, the severe form of periodontal disease, can cause infection of the gingival tissue that spreads from the tooth into the jaw bone resulting in deterioration of the aveolar. In this case the tooth or teeth will need to be extracted to treat the underlying condition.

Wisdom Teeth: Impacted wisdom teeth or abnormally erupting wisdom teeth is one of the most common reasons for tooth extraction.

In Case of Infection

If you are experiencing symptoms of infection such as chronic toothache, foul smelling breath, gingival swelling, painful chewing, pain upon biting, sensitivity to hot and cold foods, or a foul tasting discharge from the gum tissue surrounding the tooth, contact your dentist.

About Your Lake Forest Dentist:

Aside from providing expert general and cosmetic dentistry services to our community, Dr. James Fondriest also holds highly-respected academic appointments at the Pankey Institute in Key Biscayne, FL, and the Spear Institute in Scottsdale, AZ, and he is an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Prosthodontics at the University of Florida Dental School. At Lake Forest Dental Arts, Dr. Fondriest combines his impressive array of experience with modern technology and caring, compassionate, and knowledgeable staff, and we proudly serve patients from Chicago and all surrounding communities. To schedule your consultation, call our office today at (847) 234-0517.