How Does Extracting A Tooth Save Your Smile?

As dental professionals, we strive to help our Omaha, NE, patients enjoy healthy smiles, which means preserving their natural teeth. However, sometimes ensuring a healthy smile involves actually removing a natural tooth. When do we recommend an extraction and how does this process improve oral health? What should a person expect from the procedure itself?

When Do Extract Teeth?

When is it best to actually remove a tooth from your smile? If a tooth becomes severely infected and a root canal isn’t enough to preserve it, then we may suggest removal. Same for a tooth so broken and damaged that bonding or a crown would not be enough to adequately repair it. If a tooth becomes loose due to periodontitis, the advanced stage of gum disease, we may remove it and begin treatment to manage the disease and help prevent further tooth loss. For some, correcting misalignment means making room for the teeth to spread out, so an extraction may be needed.

However, the most common reason is to address wisdom teeth. Also known as third molars, these teeth erupt in our late teens and early adulthood. For some, they may not arrive at all and others won’t be impacted by them. But for others, these teeth could lead to painful partial eruption, misalignment, dental infection, and even damaged teeth. To avoid these complications, we simply remove them.

The Removal Process

We will begin by answering any of your questions and concerns. We next administer sedation to help you enter a calm and relaxed state, with little to no memory of the removal process afterward. Once we remove the tooth, we suture the area and the healing process begins. We will provide detailed instructions on eating and caring for the area once you’re home. We also schedule follow-up visits to monitor the process.

Preserving Your Smile

We obviously won’t need to replace wisdom teeth, but what if you lose a tooth to gum disease, infection, or injury? In these scenarios, we will discuss bridges, dentures, and even dental implants to restore your smile to full function and health. If you have any questions about removing teeth, or about addressing the gaps in your smile with a lifelike prosthetic, then contact our team today.

Pacific Hills Dental Offers Dental Extractions

At Pacific Hills Dental, we help restore the health of a smile with an array of restorative procedures. Talk to our team about our dental extractions and other restorative options. To make an appointment for yourself or for a family member, call our Omaha, NE, dental office today at (402) 330-2243. We proudly treat individuals in Omaha, NE, and all of the surrounding areas, including Papillion, Elkhorn, and La Vista.