Tooth trauma is one of the most common dental emergencies. When you fall and injure your tooth, it is advisable to visit the dentist near you for treatment. The dentist will look at the tooth and determine whether tooth filling or removal is suitable. Tooth extraction is advisable if a tooth is severely damaged and tooth filling won’t work.
Most people are conversant with tooth removal when it is done in readiness for permanent teeth. However, not many people know what to expect when a tooth is damaged and needs to be removed. Fortunately, we’ve covered that below.
When Is Tooth Removal Recommended?
Dentists prefer saving your natural tooth whenever it is possible. Unfortunately, methods like dental crowns or fillings may become unsuitable. Some of the instances where tooth removal is suitable include:
- An impacted tooth.
- Severe gum disease.
- Crowded teeth.
- Severe tooth decay.
- Dental injuries.
- A fractured tooth.
A tooth can become broken to the point where it cannot be fixed through fillings or placing a dental crown for various reasons. One of them is biting hard foods like ice or candy, which can easily break a tooth’s structure. Another cause is having a large dental filling which starts to weaken the tooth over time, leaving only a fraction of the tooth in place.
Furthermore, teeth grinding and clenching can also lead to tooth breaking. This happens over time, which is why if you have bruxism, you should visit the dentist’s office in Brentwood and consult the dentist about a mouthguard to protect your teeth.
Physical injury also causes tooth breakage. For example, you can fall when walking and injure your mouth only to realize that you’ve fractured your tooth. On rare occasions, people can also crack a tooth due to sudden temperature changes. For instance, you might burn your mouth when drinking something hot like coffee and decide to take cold water to cool. The sudden temperature change can affect a tooth creating small cracks which can become more prominent over time.
What To Expect During Tooth Removal
Some signs indicate that you have a broken or cracked tooth. Some of the symptoms to watch out for include:
- Toothache when you bite or chew food.
- Swelling around the affected tooth.
- Tooth sensitivity when you take hot and cold foods and beverages or when you eat sweet foods.
- Pain that comes and goes.
- Missing tooth structure.
If you identify any of these signs, you should visit the dentist as soon as. The dentist will scrutinize the affected tooth and recommend the most suitable treatment. An X-ray is required to check the extent of the damage.
After examining your tooth and the x-ray images, the dentist may recommend going for tooth extraction near you if the tooth cannot be fixed through tooth filling or placing a dental crown.
During the tooth extraction, the dentist will administer sedation to ensure you don’t experience pain. The dentist uses special dental equipment to loosen the broken tooth gently. If the tooth is broken into pieces and still stuck in the socket, the dentist may make cuts in your gums to access your tooth.
You might feel slight pressure during the procedure, but fortunately, the local anesthesia will ensure you don’t feel any pain throughout the procedure. Some people don’t get complications like eating when they have a badly broken tooth. This might make them skip going to the dentist for tooth removal.
Regrettably, if you leave a badly broken tooth with no treatment, it can be prone to decay and cause painful inflammation in the tooth roots. In addition, you can get gum disease because brushing and flossing a severely broken tooth is more challenging. Food debris stuck between teeth combines with bacteria causing gum disease, cavities, and tooth decay.
Advantages Of Tooth Removal
You might be afraid of losing your tooth or of the procedure of removing a badly broken tooth. But there are advantages to getting rid of a badly damaged tooth. They include:
- Saves the rest of your healthy teeth.
- Makes way for a healthy, beautiful smile.
- Relives pain.
- Solves the problem in the first place.
No one desires to lose a tooth, but accidents can lead to breaking or fracturing a tooth. Sadly, the tooth might need extraction to prevent complications. So, if you experience a dental injury, don’t hesitate to visit Brentwood Dental Art. Our dentist will inspect your tooth and come up with the most appropriate treatment for a healthy smile.
