Your Woodland Hills, CA, dentist strives to help preserve your smile and ensure you enjoy optimal oral health. While our treatments are often designed to protect teeth and repair them, sometimes ensuring a healthy smile means actually extracting a tooth. When should you have a tooth removed, and how do we replace them?
The Reasons to Remove a Tooth
Why do we need to take a tooth out instead of repair it? Well, if a tooth suffers a severe infection and we haven’t been able to address it in an early stage, then extraction may prevent infection from reaching nearby teeth or the jawbone itself. In addition, if damage is too severe to address or a tooth becomes loose due to gum disease, then extraction may again be necessary. For some people with severe misalignment, removing a tooth makes repositioning the others possible. However, the most common cause is to prevent the eruption of the wisdom teeth. As we approach our late teens and early 20s, up to four additional teeth could arrive, potentially leading to a painful partial eruption known as an impaction, as well as infection, damaged teeth, or severe discomfort. Removing these teeth preserves your smile and prevents major oral health complications.
Ensuring You Remain Comfortable
We want to ensure you feel comfortable and relaxed throughout the procedure. With a Single Tooth Anesthesia, we use a computerized delivery system to help numb the tooth and the surrounding area without relying on a traditional needle. We then gently rock the tooth free and remove it with a pair of forceps. For wisdom teeth, we may need to open the gums above them to access them. We suture the area closed and a friend or family member will bring you home, as anesthesia and sedation take time to wear off. You should eat soft foods and avoid strenuous activity for the first day or two, and resist the urge to prod the extraction site with your tongue. During follow-up visits, we will monitor your smile and remove the sutures.
Can These Teeth Be Replaced?
While wisdom teeth don’t need replacement, if you lose a tooth to damage or infection, then there is a gap in your smile that could lead to embarrassment and oral health issues. With dental bridges, dental implants, and dentures, we can offer durable and natural-looking solutions to one or more missing teeth!
Do You Have Questions About Extraction?
If you have an infected tooth or wisdom teeth soon to erupt, then you may need an extraction. For more information on our restorative treatments, please schedule a consultation by calling Woodland Hills Dental Arts in Woodland Hills, CA today at 818-347-5124. We also proudly welcome patients from Encino, Sherman Oaks, and all surrounding communities.