When most people hear the word tooth extractions, they tend to tune out or shudder with fear. We certainly understand. No one wants to hear about tooth extractions, but in some cases, an extraction is the only way to keep your mouth healthy.

Our Edgewood dental office provides standard extractions and also wisdom tooth extractions. We might have to extract teeth because of gum disease, tooth decays, pericoronitis (infection bear the tooth), or for preventive. Ideally, we extract wisdom teeth for prevention. There is limited room in the mouth, and wisdom teeth can crowd the mouth. This crowding can disrupt the alignment of your healthy teeth, and can be painful.

To clear up some of the misconceptions about tooth extractions, today I have 5 facts about wisdom teeth or tooth removal that you need to know.

1. Wisdom tooth removal can save you money. Some of my patients simply look at the cost of dental extractions or wisdom tooth removal. I told you earlier that we see wisdom tooth removal as a preventive procedure. Here’s why: Wisdom teeth can crowd the mouth and often grow in at an angle. If you’ve had orthodontic treatments, or your children have had orthodontic treatments, removing your wisdom teeth can help maintain the alignment of your teeth.

2. Root canals can save the tooth from extraction. No one wants to hear that they need a root canal. However, some patients believe that extracting a tooth is a good alternative to having a root canal. It’s not. A root canal can keep your mouth healthy, while an extraction can damage your smile. A root canal is more expensive than an extraction, but the procedure can save the tooth for years to come. A gap in the smile can cause your healthy teeth to shift, and it can be an eyesore. Root canals are successful 98 percent of the time, and you don’t have to worry about a gap in your smile.

3. Gum disease is the leading cause of tooth loss. Some patients believe that trauma or tooth decay is the leading cause of tooth loss. Not even close. About 75 percent of people in this country will struggle with gum disease. Of course, not all of those people will lose their teeth, but gum disease can erode the gums and bone, causing the tooth to become loss and even dislodge. Luckily, our office uses modern technology like laser dentistry to remove infections present in the gums.

4. It’s not always necessary to remove wisdom teeth. Some patients with wisdom teeth will not need an extraction. Maybe the tooth will not fully develop. We begin to take caution if the tooth begins to erupt. An erupted wisdom tooth can become infected. Here’s an interesting fact: no everyone has wisdom teeth. In fact, about 35 percent of people do not have wisdom teeth.

5. Wisdom teeth often show up between the ages of 17 and 25. If your wisdom teeth do not develop at this age, it’s possible they never will. I tell all of our parents this fact because we often recommend wisdom tooth extractions shortly after orthodontic treatment is complete.

Tooth extractions and wisdom teeth are sometimes necessary to maintain the health of your mouth. If we need to remove a permanent tooth, we can place stable dental implants to fill the gaps created by the missing tooth. We can even use dental implants to secure dentures.

If you have outstanding dental problems, call our office today at 859-474-7830 or fill out our online form.