With advances in modern dentistry, teeth can often be restored and extraction can often be avoided. A dentist’s top priority is always to save a tooth, but above that is the health of the entire smile and the overall health of the patient. Unfortunately, there are certain situations when a tooth can simply not be saved. A dental extraction becomes necessary when a tooth is too severely damaged, is causing negative effects on the rest of your smile, or if the tooth is severely infected. In situations where an extraction is recommended, the tooth can usually be replaced with an implant and/or some form of dental prosthetic. 

Problematic for the Whole Smile

If a tooth can be restored, your dentist will often give you some choices on how to do so. However, there are times when a tooth is too decayed or damaged for it to be restored. There are also situations where a tooth may not be damaged or decayed, but it can still cause issues for the rest of the smile. There are times when wisdom teeth begin to come into a mouth that has no room to accommodate them, which can lead to misalignment and damage to the gums and other teeth. It is quite common for wisdom teeth to be extracted.

Protecting Your Health

Your overall health is considered when deciding whether or not to extract a tooth, particularly if and when harmful bacteria has reached the pulp of the tooth. The inner pulp of a tooth has a constant blood flow that can spread infection to the rest of your body. If your health is already compromised due to chronic illness such as heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, or cancer treatments such as chemotherapy or radiation, an infection of any kind can be dangerous. In these cases, extraction may be necessary to protect your overall health.

An extraction can sometimes become necessary

An extraction can become necessary to protect your smile and your health. To schedule a consultation with Smith Family Dentistry in Greenville, TX call us at 903-455-5750. We proudly serve patients from Hunt County, Greenville, Royce City, Sulphur Springs, and all surrounding communities.