Your dentist cares about keeping your smile looking its best. The primary focus, however, is your oral health. And sometimes, the best thing for your health and your smile is to extract a bothersome tooth.

The Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery Associates of Nevada  (OMSAN) team, with locations in Summerlin and East Side Las Vegas, discusses five reasons for tooth extraction.

1. Periodontal disease

Gingivitis is the earliest stage of periodontal disease and generally causes mild gum irritation and inflammation. 

However, at its most advanced stage, periodontal disease can cause gums to pull away from your teeth and result in significant bone and tooth loss. Tooth extraction may be recommended to help prevent the spread of this destructive condition.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes that nearly half of all adults over 30 have some form of periodontal disease. By age 65, 70% of adults have periodontal disease. Treatment of gingivitis and earlier stages of periodontal disease, identified via routine dental exams, offer an effective alternative to tooth extraction.

2. Severe tooth decay

Tooth decay due to bacterial infection can eventually spread to the tooth root or pulp when left untreated. Our oral surgeon team here at OMSAN typically recommends treatment with antibiotics and a root canal to clear these types of infections.

Sometimes, though, the damage is too significant, and the affected tooth must be extracted to relieve your pain and prevent further oral health complications. Dental implants are a highly effective solution for replacing one or several extracted teeth.

3. Impacted wisdom teeth

When wisdom teeth erupt fully from your gums, typically in your late teens, and don’t crowd your other teeth, we generally recommend leaving them in place.

Often, however, these teeth won't erupt fully and may become partially or completely impacted below the gumline. An impacted wisdom tooth can sometimes grow parallel to your jaw. This may result in pain with chewing, severe decay, and overcrowding of your remaining teeth.

In this case, your provider generally recommends extraction. Depending on the growth pattern, which is notable on dental X-rays, your surgeon may recommend removing one, two, or all your wisdom teeth.

4. Preventing overcrowding

For the best result, tooth extraction is sometimes necessary before braces are fitted. Your surgeon may also recommend pulling a tooth or teeth to correct a bite or to remove baby teeth that haven’t fallen out naturally.

5. Addressing trauma

There is surprisingly much we can do to save a tooth that’s cracked or otherwise damaged during a car accident, fall, or other trauma. But sometimes, the injury is significant enough that the affected tooth or teeth may require extraction.

Rest assured that your provider will carefully review and discuss all your treatment options in detail before scheduling any procedure at OMSAN, including tooth extraction. Our Harvard-trained team is equipped to address even the most complicated dental issue as highly-skilled oral surgeons.

Schedule a visit at Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery Associates of Nevada today for outstanding healthcare you can rely on. Your dentist cares about keeping your smile looking its best. The primary focus, however, is your oral health. And sometimes, the best thing for your health and your smile is to extract a bothersome tooth.