Bravery for Your Root Canal

Knowing the symptoms of a tooth that needs to be pulled will help you visit your dentist in time before more serious problems develop. Here are three conditions that may require one or more teeth to be extracted.

Severely Infected Pulp

Cavities that are left untreated will eventually allow bacteria to eat through dental enamel completely and attack the pulp of your teeth. The most noticeable sign of this problem is severe pain, but this pain will dull over time as the nerves in the pulp die. This means that you should still see your dentist to determine if extraction is necessary even after cavity pain has subsided.

A root canal is the most common procedure that is used for treating a tooth with dying pulp. Your dentist will drill through the enamel and replace the tooth pulp with a filling. If a root canal and antibiotics are not enough to save the tooth, removing the tooth is often the only option.

Impacted Teeth

Wisdom teeth often fail to fully emerge from the gums due to a lack of space in the back of the mouth. This condition is known as impacted wisdom teeth and is one of the most common reasons for tooth extractions.

Extracting impacted teeth is usually necessary because they will lead to chronic pain if they are left in the gums. These teeth will continue to try to emerge, sometimes pushing against adjacent teeth. Over time, impacted teeth can break or cause the teeth around them to break, greatly increasing the risk of infection.

Advanced Gum Disease

Periodontitis, or gum disease, is a condition where the soft connective tissues around the teeth become inflamed and begin to recede. In more severe cases, periodontitis can even cause the jawbone to wear away. Advanced gum disease can wear away so much tissue and bone that in some areas there will be almost nothing left to hold the teeth in place. This will cause the teeth to become very loose, painful, and useless for chewing, forcing your dentist to extract them.

Gum disease occurs when plaque is left on the teeth for an extended time and turns into tartar. Tartar is a hard substance that collects in pockets below the gumline that cannot be removed with normal brushing. Maintaining good dental hygiene to prevent tartar formation and attending regular dental checkups is the best way to avoid gum disease.

Keep these dental problems in mind and visit your dentist early if you suspect a problem so you can minimize the chances of needing a dental extraction. For more information, contact a professional in your area or visit a website like http://www.charlottesvilledentistry.com/.