Find out when a tooth extraction may actually be necessary for the health of your smile.

Once our permanent teeth come in we just assume that we will have these teeth forever. After all, the goal should always be to maintain our natural teeth; however, there are certain circumstances that arise that may require our Concord, NH, dentist, Dr. Jennifer Lynn Toy, to actually remove one or more teeth. Wondering when to consider a tooth extraction? A tooth extraction may be required if...

You Have Impacted Wisdom Teeth

Wisdom teeth are the third and final set of molars to erupt. They usually come in around your late teens or early twenties. Of course, you don’t need these teeth in order to have a healthy smile, and often times, these wisdom teeth can cause more issues than benefits.

These complications arise because wisdom teeth are often impacted, meaning that they don’t fully erupt through the gums. As a result, food and bacteria can get trapped in this opening in the gum tissue, which can lead to infection. Wisdom teeth may also grow in crooked, putting pressure on or even damaging neighboring teeth.

When you visit our Concord office, our dentist will be able to check your yearly x-rays to see how your wisdom teeth are developing and whether or not you’ll need to have them removed.

You Have a Severely Damaged or Infected Tooth

Decay is one of the most common reasons to have a tooth removed, and is often caused by patients avoiding regular visits to the dentist. While decay is completely preventable with the proper care, and it can take many years for decay to progress to the point where a tooth is no longer viable, it can still happen. If you haven’t visited a dentist in years, it’s certainly time to schedule your next checkup. These routine checkups could just end up saving one or more of your teeth.

If a tooth is cracked or physically damaged to the point where nothing can preserve or restore the tooth (e.g. a dental crown), then we may need to remove the tooth and replace it. This is often the case for fractures that go all the way below the gum line.

You Have Gum Disease

Gum disease affects around half of American adults and this chronic disease is progressive, meaning that it can cause severe damage to your oral health if you don’t get the proper treatment you need. Gum disease is the leading cause of tooth loss today, and it can cause damage to the ligaments and bones in your mouth, as well. Getting the proper treatment for gum disease is critical for protecting your smile.

Do you have questions about getting a tooth extraction at our Concord office? Do you want to learn more about the dental services we offer to help make your smile the healthiest and best it can be? If so, don’t hesitate to call us today at (603) 753-6687 to find out what we can do for you. Your oral health is our top priority!