Common Causes for Tooth Extraction

It might seem that the only reason for tooth extraction is to remove a tooth that is beyond saving due to damage or decay. However, there are actually several other situations that can necessitate this dental procedure. Here are the common causes for tooth extraction that you might face sometime in your lifetime.

• Wisdom Tooth Extraction- Not everyone has the space needed for their third molars and they do not always come in correctly. When this happens, generally during late teenage years and sometimes in the early 20s, the wisdom teeth will be extracted. This can happen either before they have erupted or afterwards.
• Infected Teeth Due to Medications- There are some medications, primarily cancer drugs, that can cause infected teeth because they weaken the immune system. Sometimes these teeth need to be extracted. Organ transplants are another medical situation that can result in infected teeth due to the medications needed to avoid organ rejection.
• Head and Neck Radiation- Patients who will need head and neck radiation sometimes need to have tooth extraction in the field of radiation.
• Stubborn Baby Teeth- When baby teeth do not fall out as they should, tooth extraction is sometimes necessary so that the permanent teeth can come in.
• Extra Teeth- Though not common, some people have extra teeth that are not beneficial in any way and need to be removed. Sometimes they occur in odd places in the mouth even, such as behind the regular teeth, or they block teeth that are coming in.
• Facilitate a Dental Procedure- Some procedures, such as braces, can require the removal of teeth that are in the way.
• Broken or Decayed- Of course, a damaged, severely loose, or decayed tooth is a common cause for tooth extraction.

If you would like to know more about tooth extraction, give us a call at the dental office of Michael S. Spangler, DDS, PA in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. With several years of experience, we do everything we can to save a tooth whenever possible, but if you should need tooth extraction, you can be confident we will handle it in a manner that provides as much comfort to you as possible. Call today to learn more.