That Troublesome Tooth!

If you have had trouble with the eruption of any of your wisdom teeth you may remember having that troublesome tooth or teeth. Wisdom teeth are often troublesome and often need extracting. If there is not enough room on your dental ridge to accommodate these late bloomers (they erupt last and usually between the ages of 17 and 21), they may come in crooked, only partially erupt, or become impacted (not erupt at all). All of these scenarios can cause pain or infection as well as damage to nearby teeth. That is why wisdom teeth often need to be pulled.

Do Other Teeth Ever Need Extracting?

Wisdom teeth, however, are not the only teeth that need extracting. Sometimes there is a need to extract other teeth. One such need would be to extract a tooth or teeth to accommodate braces. Extracting one or more teeth from a crowded dental ridge will make room to straighten the remaining teeth for an esthetic smile.  Another reason for extracting a tooth is infection. If the pulp (the middle live tissue) of a tooth becomes infected and the infection cannot be treated with antibiotics, the tooth will need to be pulled so the infection does not spread into nearby oral tissue, or throughout your body. However, if the infection can be controlled with antibiotics, your dentist will usually save the tooth by performing a root canal. Other reasons for extraction include:

• The tooth is fractured below the gum line
• You have severe periodontal disease
• In preparation for dentures

Extraction

With today’s modern dental equipment and techniques, extracting a tooth is quick and painless. The tissue surrounding the tooth will be numbed using a local anesthetic and the tooth gently loosened and removed. It’s that easy.