Your Wilmington, DE, dentist, Dr. Edward Weinstein will usually attempt to save your natural teeth when possible, but advanced dental problems might necessitate tooth extraction. Tooth extraction involves the complete removal of your tooth from your gums.
This procedure is usually carried out under local or general anesthesia to reduce your discomfort. When your problem tooth isn't easily accessible your dentist might have to create an incision on your gums and soft tissue to reach it.
Severe Tooth Decay
Tooth decay destroys the integrity of your tooth, affecting the enamel and dentin. In its early stages, your dentist in Wilmington, DE, can reverse some of the damage done by the bacteria to your tooth.
Tooth restorations such as tooth filling and crowns can restore your tooth function if your dentist catches your tooth decay early enough.
Sadly, if you fail to get professional help for your tooth decay, the damage could become irreversible. When the bacteria have destroyed your tooth beyond repair, your dentist might recommend a tooth extraction to relieve your discomfort and protect your remaining teeth from further damage.
Advanced Gum Disease
Gum disease typically begins as gingivitis, an inflammation of your gums from accumulated bacteria and food debris.
During your routine dental visits, your dentist cleans your teeth thoroughly to remove bacteria and plaque build-up. When your periodontal disease progresses without treatment, it could cost you your teeth.
Gum disease can destroy your teeth' supporting structures such as bone, ligament, and gum tissue, causing your teeth to fall out. This damage can also cause you to require a tooth extraction.
Impacted Teeth
Impacted teeth fail to erupt above the gum line or only erupt partially. Your teeth could become impacted due to overcrowding or displacement. This is pretty prevalent among wisdom teeth because there might not be enough room for them to erupt properly in your mouth.
Overcrowded Teeth
If you have severely overcrowded teeth, your dentist might recommend taking some out to create room to straighten the rest. This could be essential for your orthodontic treatment if there isn't enough space.
Broken Teeth
Tooth breakage could occur from an accident or sports injury. If there's sufficient enamel above your gum line, your dentist could recommend any one of many tooth restorations for you.
However, if your tooth breaks below your gumline, these tooth restorations might not fit. In that case, your dentist might need to surgically extract your broken tooth and fit you with a prosthesis.
Do You Need a Tooth Extraction?
Call (302) 998-8474 to schedule a consultation with Dr. Weinstein, your dentist in Wilmington, DE.
