Extracting and Replacing a Compromised Tooth

Before dental health care reached the advanced state that patients enjoy today, there weren’t always many options for saving a tooth once it became compromised. In many cases, tooth extraction was the only way to avoid the potentially serious consequences of many common types of tooth problems. Today, however, tooth extraction is only recommended as a last resort treatment option, when a tooth can’t be saved with advanced restorative dental treatment. Thanks to advanced tooth replacement options, extracting a tooth can also have less of a negative impact on your oral health, if it does become necessary.

When to consider extracting the tooth

Your dentist doesn’t recommend extracting a tooth lightly, and for many good reasons. While it may seem easier to simply remove a tooth that’s giving you trouble, doing so will only open the door to different kinds of trouble for your oral health. When a tooth is lost, its absence can lead to several detrimental effects on your remaining teeth and your surrounding oral structures. Because of this, the procedure is only recommended in severe cases of tooth problems, such as extreme tooth decay or damage, or the impaction of a third molar or other tooth.

How this will preserve your oral health

When recommending tooth extraction, your dentist will weigh the potential consequences of losing the tooth against the more immediate threat that the compromised tooth poses to your oral health. If tooth extraction is the recommendation, it means that the tooth is too severely compromised to successfully save, and its presence will continue to pose a threat to the health and integrity of the rest of your smile. After extracting the tooth, your dentist can eliminate the specific threat it poses, then work with you to deal with restoring your smile in light of the tooth’s absence.

What to consider for your smile next

The biggest concern surrounding tooth extraction is that it leads to the permanent loss of your natural tooth structure, including both its crown and root structures. The loss of your tooth and its root can have devastating impacts on your oral health, jawbone structure, and more. This is why your dentist may suggest replacing the tooth as soon as possible with a dental implant and crown, which can replace your tooth’s root and crown to stem the impacts of their loss.

Learn about tooth extraction and replacement

Sometimes, the best thing you can do for your oral health is to extract and replace a tooth before it causes more trouble for your oral health and bite function. To learn more, call our Cleveland Family Dentistry office in Cleveland, TX, today at (281) 592-1234. We also serve the residents of Kingwood, Conroe, Livingston, and all surrounding communities.