Sometimes having a tooth removed is actually the best decision for your smile.

Of course, in most cases, it’s important to maintain your own natural smile. While dental technology has made it possible to replace your missing teeth with the next best option (dental implants) nothing can beat having your own teeth; however, there are some scenarios that arise in which our St. Clair Shores, MI, dentist Dr. P. Steven Wainess will recommend getting a tooth removed including:

• Overcrowding
• Wisdom teeth impaction
• Infection
• Damage

Overcrowding

Overcrowding means that there isn’t enough room for all of your teeth to grow in, so they often grow in on top of each other. If crowding is bad enough, some teeth may even overlap another tooth. Of course, one of the best options is to get orthodontic treatment to straighten out your smile; however, sometimes your dentist in St. Clair Shores, MI, will recommend removing one or two teeth to free up more space so the braces can more effectively shift teeth into the perfect alignment.

Wisdom Tooth Impaction

Wisdom teeth are the third and final set of molars to grow in (they usually appear during your late teens or early twenties) and often times they cause some issues when they show up (if they come in straight and aren’t causing issues for the rest of your smile you may choose to keep your wisdom teeth).

Unfortunately, wisdom teeth often only partially erupt through the gums (known as impacted wisdom teeth) or come in crooked, increasing your chances of gum disease, decay, damage to neighboring teeth, and infection. To prevent these issues the best option is to have your wisdom teeth extracted.

Damage

While most dental damage can be repaired with a filling or a dental crown, there are some situations in which damage to a tooth is so extensive that the tooth can no longer be saved. Teeth that have a crack that goes under the gumline or teeth that are severely broken have lost enough integrity that sometimes the only option is to have the tooth removed.

An Infection

Again, when an infection reaches the inside of a tooth (known as the dental pulp) the infection can often be treated and a crown can be placed to preserve the tooth; however, if the infection has been left to fester or gone ignored then there may be too much damage to be able to salvage the tooth. A complication of advanced gum disease is loose teeth. If gum disease isn’t treated the teeth may fall out on their own or need to be removed.

Do you have questions about getting a tooth extracted? Do you want to talk to us about whether you need to get your wisdom teeth out? Then call your St. Clair Shores, MI, dentist today.