When given the proper care and treatment, your teeth are meant to last a lifetime. Unfortunately, cavities, gum disease, dental trauma, and other factors can seriously harm your teeth. At 26th Street Dental Center, Dr. Ogbara and his team works to save your teeth whenever possible. In some cases, however, extraction may be the best option for maintaining the health of your smile.
When is Tooth Extraction Necessary?
One of the most common reasons for extraction is when a damaged tooth simply cannot be repaired. When treated proactively, we can usually repair teeth with cavities by removing the decayed part of the tooth and restoring it with a filling or a crown. Even a decayed tooth that is seriously infected can often be preserved with the combination of root canal therapy and a dental crown. Under certain circumstances however, such as failed root canal therapy or severe gum disease, the damage is too extensive and restoring the tooth isn’t a viable option.
Dental trauma is another circumstance that can damage a tooth beyond repair. We always prefer to restore a damaged tooth, but sometimes teeth are so severely dislodged or fractured that it isn’t possible to restore it.
Wisdom Tooth Extraction
Wisdom teeth are the final molars on each side of a person’s jaws and usually erupt between the ages of 17 and 21. As these molars erupt later in life than other teeth, there is often not enough room left in the jawbone for the wisdom teeth to fit. Not only is this painful for patients, it also opens the door for a number of oral health concerns, increasing the risk of tooth decay and gum disease.
If there’s likely to be future complications, dentists often recommend extracting a patient’s wisdom teeth before the age of 20. That’s because it’s usually easier to extract wisdom teeth when their roots are less fully developed. To help patients preserve their oral health, wisdom teeth extraction is available at 26th Street Dental Center. In cases where wisdom teeth are impacted, or stuck in the jaw or gums, we will coordinate care with one of the local oral surgeons.