As an adult, much of your dental care is focused on preventing tooth loss to help you preserve your healthy, natural smile. So, if your dentist suggests tooth extraction, you might wonder how that can affect your smile, or whether or not it’s actually the best option. While it’s true that losing a tooth can affect your long-term oral health, sometimes a tooth is so damaged, infected, or otherwise troublesome that its presence is an even greater threat. Tooth extraction is typically a last-resort option when a tooth cannot be saved because it allows your dentist to replace the tooth with a durable, lifelike replacement.
Why a Tooth Should Be Extracted
There are many possible reasons why your tooth might need to be extracted. For instance, impacted wisdom teeth must be removed to stop them from putting pressure on your other teeth. Severe tooth infection and/or damage can destroy enough of a tooth’s structure that it cannot be saved, as well as pose a threat to surrounding teeth and oral tissues.
How the Loss Affects Your Oral Health
By extracting the tooth, your dentist can remove that threat so that the rest of your oral health is no longer in danger. However, without the tooth in place, your bite can experience a discrepancy in its balance, which can force your jaw to work overtime and expose certain teeth to excessive pressure. The remaining teeth closest to the one you’ve lost can migrate towards the empty space, throwing your bite further off balance and increasing the risks to your other teeth.
What to Do After Tooth Extraction
Because of these and other potential consequences of tooth loss, your dentist will likely suggest tooth extraction as only the first part of your restoration. To fully restore your smile, he may also recommend replacing the tooth as soon as possible after extracting it, preferably with a dental implant and crown.
Find Out if Tooth Extraction Is Necessary
Before electing for tooth extraction, speak with your dentist about what to expect and how to protect your smile after the loss of your tooth. To learn more, schedule an appointment with your dentist by calling Keelan Dental in Butler, PA, at (724) 285-4153. Our Smile Certified experts happily serve patients from Butler, Cranberry Township, Mars, Pittsburgh, Butler County, and all surrounding communities.