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We work hard to help our Mansfield, TX, patients enjoy optimal oral health. In addition to taking steps to preserve natural teeth, we sometimes actually need to remove a tooth to improve overall oral health. In today’s blog, we’re looking at when an extraction is beneficial for a person’s smile, and what they should expect from the procedure.

Preventing Wisdom Tooth Impaction

As people approach adulthood, they may see up to four additional teeth arrive. Known as wisdom teeth, these erupt in our late teens and early 20s. For some, they may not be a big deal. However, for others these teeth may only partially erupt. Known as impaction, this could lead to pain, damaged teeth, infection, and even the risk of misalignment as they alter the positions of the other teeth in your smile. In order to prevent these complications, we safely and carefully move the teeth from your smile.

Addressing Infections and Damage

Of course, extractions are not limited only to addressing wisdom teeth. If you develop a serious infection, one that can no longer be addressed with a root canal and crown, then we may need to remove the tooth to prevent the spread of infection to surrounding teeth. If you break a tooth and the damage is too severe to benefit from a crown, we may also suggest removing the tooth in question.

Correcting Poor Alignment or Bite Imbalance

For some, correcting crooked and crowded teeth means making room for the orthodontics to be able to move them. By removing a tooth in some scenarios, we enable patients to obtain more even and healthy smiles. Likewise, extraction may be necessary to address bite imbalance, offering solutions for TMJ disorder and bruxism (teeth grinding).

With all of these procedures, we will address any questions or concerns you have. We also administer sedation to ensure you enter a calm and relaxed state, with little to no memory of the procedure. A trained anesthesiologist will monitor you throughout the procedure as well. Afterward, we provide detailed instructions for the hours and days following, to help ensure proper healing. We will also schedule follow-up visits to monitor your smile as the area heals and to eventually remove the sutures. If you have any questions about extracting your teeth, or if you think your smile may benefit from the procedure, then contact our team today.

Do You Have Questions About Extractions?

We may prescribe safe and comfortable tooth removal to improve your oral health, helping you maintain a functional, healthy, and attractive smile. For more information on our restorative dental treatments and oral surgical procedures, schedule a consultation by calling our dentist’s office in Mansfield, TX, today at 817-473-6227.