Your dentist will be committed to doing everything in their power to help you preserve your natural teeth for as long as possible. However, there are some circumstances in which there is no other viable alternative than to take the tooth out.

Dental extractions have a bad reputation, but thanks to modern anesthetic and advances in the tools and techniques used, even complex dental extractions are far less worrisome than they used to be. However, sometimes situations arise where there isn’t any time to wait and a tooth must be extracted immediately. This is known as an emergency extraction.

Here are the top four reasons why you need an emergency tooth extraction.

1. You have an impacted wisdom tooth

Some teeth are more likely to cause problems than others. The wisdom teeth are well-known for being the biggest troublemakers of all. This is primarily due to the fact that they erupt last of all, long after the other teeth have come through. By this point, many people simply don’t have enough room in their jaw and when this happens, the wisdom teeth push other teeth out of the way or get stuck underneath the gums. If this happens, you can experience infection and considerable dental pain and so you may be referred for an emergency extraction.

2. You have severe tooth decay

Tooth decay occurs when plaque and tartar are allowed to build upon the teeth where they produce acids that eat away at the layers, exposing the sensitive middle parts of the teeth. Toothache can be agonizing and extremely debilitating. If you have an area of decay that grows beyond what can be repaired using a filling, crown or root canal, an emergency extraction may be the only suitable treatment to prevent the spread of decay to your other, currently healthy, teeth.

3. Your tooth is fractured beneath the gumline

Although the enamel covering your teeth is the hardest substance in the human body, this doesn’t make it completely infallible. Over time, the forces exerted on your teeth from chewing, biting and using the teeth as tools can put you at higher risk of damage, including cracking. You are also at increased risk of experiencing a cracked tooth if you have recently had a root canal or a very large filling. When a tooth is cracked beneath the gum line, it is likely to be very painful and could become infected. Extraction is the best option.

4. You have severe gum disease

Gum disease is an inflammatory condition that occurs when bacteria from unclean teeth spread onto the gum tissue where they cause irritation and infection. This is known as gum disease and can be reversed by following a strict oral hygiene routine. However, if steps aren’t taken to get your gum disease under control, it could develop into periodontal disease where there is a good chance that you will suffer permanent damage to your teeth and smile. Periodontal disease attacks the structures that support your teeth, putting you at risk of losing a permanent tooth. If the gum tissue is very adversely affected, there may be no choice but to remove your affected tooth.

If you are concerned about one of your teeth, or if you have any questions about emergency tooth extractions, our team would be happy to help. Please contact our offices at your convenience.