Learning that you need to extract one of your teeth can be a bit of a shock. After all, the goal of dentistry is generally to preserve your smile and repair any damage that occurs across your lifetime. While cavities and certain traumas are often restored with dental fillings, crowns, and other restorative techniques, there are situations in which removing your tooth is necessary to protect the rest of your teeth. For instance, root canal therapy can fail to completely treat a bacterial infection, and removing the tooth can help prevent the infection from spreading further throughout the body. There are also cases where tooth decay progresses to a point where a crown cannot properly attach. In either instance, pulling your tooth provides the opportunity to place a prosthetic that returns your complete smile.
At your Katy, TX dental practice, we take care to explain all procedures and answer any questions you have before moving forward. This means that when removing one of your teeth, we will explain the necessity and help you explore restorative options to return your smile afterward. We hope to help you feel comfortable while treating pain and setting up your smile for success!
The Decision To Remove One Of Your Teeth
When one of your teeth becomes past the point of repair with a dental filling or crown, we will suggest pulling it to treat pain, prevent any decay from spreading, and prepare you for a prosthetic. Left alone, a severe case of decay can jump to other members of your smile, meaning the damage is not isolated to a single tooth in your smile. This procedure also helps us treat teeth that fail to respond to root canal therapy and prevent infection from entering your bloodstream. Because extracting a tooth leaves a gap in your smile, we can help you plan a replacement tooth to prevent altering your bite and restore the esthetic beauty of your grin!
Performing Your Tooth Removal
To plan your procedure, we take detailed digital images of your tooth and jaw to avoid damaging the nerves and blood vessels below your gumline. By plotting our angle of approach, we seek to avoid complications and decrease the time it takes you to recover. We will apply a local anesthetic to the affected area and could offer dental sedation for further relaxation if you so desire. To extract the problem tooth, we move it back and forth in the socket until it comes loose. We then pack the socket with dental gauze to encourage clotting and prevent infection as you heal over the coming days.
Talk To Your Katy, TX, Dentist About Your Restorative Dental Care Needs
If your tooth becomes too damaged to repair, removing it allows us to treat your pain and plan for a replacement. To find out more about our restorative dental treatments, including tooth extraction, please call Lathrop Dental Center in Katy, TX at (832) 437-3849 and schedule a visit.
