Most of the time there’s a good chance that the only times you really think about them are when you’re brushing and flossing them, eating, or when you accidentally bite yourself. That said, if something is wrong with a tooth, you probably spend most of your waking hours thinking about it. You may be tempted to do something about it yourself, but you’ll want to think twice if you notice signs that suggest that the tooth needs a professional extraction.
Pain or Sensitivity
There are a few different reasons why a tooth might become painful or sensitive, and not all of them mean it needs to be pulled. If the tooth pain is a result of the tooth being badly damaged to the point where it can’t be repaired, or if it becomes infected, sometimes the best thing to do is to have it removed. That is also the case sometimes if corrective procedures such as a root canal, filling, or crown procedure have not been enough to resolve the pain.
Broken or Chipped
Dentists have gotten pretty good at fixing broken teeth. Crowns, veneers, bonding, and root canals can all be used to fix up a broken tooth and return its appearance to normal. Still, not all broken or chipped teeth can be fixed. If the tooth breaks below the gumline, the best option will likely be to remove the tooth entirely.
Crowded or Impacted
Sometimes the problem is simply that there isn’t enough room in the mouth for all the teeth you have. This can lead to having teeth that just aren’t where they should be and can result in dental decay. Other times teeth can become impacted, which means that they aren’t able to fully grow out from the gums. Again, this can happen because of crowding. In these cases, usually the best thing to do is to extract the tooth, as is the case with many people and their wisdom teeth, which are often pulled for these exact reasons.
There are a lot of things that dentists can do to try to save teeth instead of extracting them. However, it is sometimes the case that in spite of their best efforts, the best thing to do is to pull the tooth. Resist the temptation to yank it out yourself. Leave the extraction to our dental professionals here at Stellar Kids Dentistry so that the process will be done cleanly with minimal discomfort.
Teeth don’t always need to be professionally extracted, do they? Read this next to learn more: Should You Ever Extract a Child’s Tooth at Home?