As we touched on in our previous blog, we use restorative treatments like crowns and root canal therapy to preserve infected or damaged teeth. But sometimes, issues arise that cannot be repaired with a restoration. Instead, safeguarding the smile means tooth extraction is necessary. In today’s blog, your Leawood, KS, dentist explains when a tooth extraction is needed.
Reasons for Removing a Tooth
When a tooth is severely broken, then a crown may not be enough to treat it and leaving it in place could allow infection to form and spread to other parts of the smile. Likewise, when an infection develops and is beyond treatment with a root canal, this could mean issues with the stability of surrounding teeth. But we also take out teeth to make room for orthodontic treatment to pave the way for a set of dentures. Extraction could also help prevent wisdom tooth impaction!
The Dangers of Wisdom Teeth
As we approach our late teens and early 20s, up to four new teeth could erupt. When they do, there is often no room for them, so they only partially erupt due to lack of space, and cause a painful dental impaction. The arrival of these teeth is also linked to infection, damaged teeth, and dental misalignment. We want to remove them prior to eruption if possible to help you or a family member avoid these serious complications!
The Tooth Extraction Process
To begin, we will take detailed digital x-rays, which use 90% less radiation and are available instantly chairside. These high-definition images allow us to pinpoint the position of the teeth and plan the extraction with detail, so we can avoid contact with nerve tissues, sinus cavities, and blood vessels. To ensure the entire process is a comfortable one for you, we can administer a local anesthetic to the area where the tooth is being extracted. We also have sedation to help you enter a deep state of calm, even if you have dental anxiety.
Our team will then gently remove the tooth with a pair of forceps and suture the area closed. We provide detailed instructions for aftercare, and prescriptions for medications to help facilitate a comfortable and complication-free healing period. If you have any questions about how our team will conduct a safe and gentle tooth extraction, or if you or a family member may need one, then contact our team today to learn more.
Do You Have Any Questions About Tooth Extraction?
Our team takes steps to ensure a positive oral surgery experience, so you don’t have to feel uncomfortable during your treatment. Call Dreem Dentistry in Leawood, KS by calling (913)681-5500 to learn more about how we safely and gently remove teeth that could compromise your smile.
