While our goal is to preserve your natural teeth, sometimes maintaining good oral health means doing the opposite. With wisdom teeth or severe infections, removing the tooth may be essential to prevent damage from occurring or infection from reaching surrounding teeth. When do you need an extraction? Will removing the tooth be comfortable?
Frequently Asked Questions About Extractions
Question: Will the procedure be comfortable?
Answer: To help ensure a comfortable experience, we will administer a local anesthetic. We can also offer dental sedation to allow the patient to remain calm and relaxed through the procedure.
Question: Can you prevent impaction?
Answer: Your wisdom teeth, also known as third molars, typically erupt in a patient’s late teens or early 20s. These include up to four additional molars, which can lead to misalignment more seriously, impaction. We try to remove wisdom teeth prior to eruption. Doing so helps prevent impaction, which occurs when the wisdom tooth or teeth only partially erupt. Impaction can lead to damaged teeth, pain, and infection.
Question: What if a tooth is infected?
Answer: For most dental infections, we simply perform a root canal procedure. However, if the infection isn’t treated in a timely manner, it can progress until the tooth itself dies. At this stage, tooth removal is needed to prevent infection from reaching surrounding teeth and the jawbone.
Question: Can you replace missing teeth?
Answer: Yes! In some situations, such as wisdom tooth removal, replacing the tooth isn’t neecsary. However, if we need to extract a tooth due to an infection or severe damage, then we can discuss replacement options. We can offer a dental bridge or a dental implant to restore your smile. If you have any questions or concerns about our dental extractions, then please contact our office today.
Do You Have Questions About Extractions?
At Vi Mai-Truong, DDS, we can improve your oral health with a safe and comfortable extraction. For our patients who don’t speak English, our office is fluent in both Spanish and Vietnamese. To schedule an appointment, call our Garland, TX office today at (972) 530-0552.
