Should you have your tooth extracted if you are suffering from dental pain? While we understand the desire to get rid of tooth pain at any cost, there are a few signs and symptoms you should look out for before rushing to have your tooth extracted. Here’s what to consider.
When to Consider Extraction
Dental disease is one of the leading causes of tooth extractions in our office. With disease often comes pain, which is an obvious indicator you might need the tooth removed. However, it is not the only symptom, as dental pain can usually be controlled by over-the-counter pain medicine and extraction is not always the best long-term option. Other symptoms to look out for include:
- Damage to the tooth that cannot be fixed by dental procedures like a crown
- Periodontal disease has infected the tooth
- You are still suffering from pain even after receiving a filling or crown
If you visit your dentist regularly, we recommend once every 6 months, he or she will be able to identify any of the top symptoms and help you determine whether or not extraction is the best course of action. Oftentimes, there are other solutions your dentist may consider first.
Other Causes for Extraction
Your dentist might also consider tooth extraction if:
- Your teeth are crowded and therefore not erupting as they should
- They are not fully functional in your bite
- There is insufficient space
- You are not able to brush or floss properly
These are the main reasons you might be a candidate for tooth extraction. As always, it’s important to see a dentist regularly to ensure that your teeth are developing as they should, and to stop any problem in its tracks before it leads to permanent damage and a subsequent extraction. Even after extraction, you will need to visit your dentist often as the space left by the tooth cannot go unoccupied and will need to be filled with a replacement tooth.
