If you have a serious issue that cannot be addressed with a dental filling or a custom crown, then we could extract the tooth. Often, this could help protect your smile from serious complications! In today’s blog, your Kansas City, MO, dentist talks about how we can improve your oral health with a tooth extraction.

The Reasons We May Remove a Tooth

When does a tooth need to be removed completely? We may prescribe an extraction when a tooth is too damaged, decayed, or infected to be repaired with a root canal and crown. Because otherwise, infection could spread to other teeth or into the jawbone itself. We could also take out teeth to make room for orthodontic treatment, or to improve bite balance or chewing function. But one of the more common reasons is to prevent wisdom tooth impaction.

The Risks of Wisdom Teeth

When we reach our late teens and early 20s, up to four new teeth could erupt in the back of the mouth. These new molars are known as wisdom teeth, and since there is often little room for them, they could only partially erupt, causing a painful impaction. The eruption of these third molars could also lead to infection, misalignment, and other serious complications. For people who have completed orthodontic treatment, this could undo the results and cause crowning and overlapping teeth! But we can help with a gentle and effective tooth extraction.

The Tooth Extraction Process

First, we will take digital x-rays of your smile so we can plan the removal of the tooth or teeth with precision and accuracy. We then administer a local anesthesia to numb the area directly, and will carefully extract the teeth in a process that could take as little as a half hour. If the process is more involved, we could also suggest sedation to help you enter a deep state of calm and relaxation, with little to no memory of the process at all. Our team will then provide detailed aftercare instructions to ensure the area heals quickly and effectively, and will follow-up in a second visit.

If you have any questions about how we conduct a tooth extraction, or to find out if your smile could benefit from one, then reach out to our team today for a visit. We look forward to helping you smile with confidence again.

Schedule a Visit For Oral Surgery

Our team is ready to help address serious issues with oral surgery. To find out more about removing teeth that could endanger your smile, or to schedule your visit, call Delightful Dental Care in Kansas City, MO at (816) 942-7669 today. You deserve optimal oral health, and we are ready to help!