Extractions & Wisdom Teeth

An extraction is the removal of a tooth. In dentistry, extractions may be necessary to improve dental health, and not always connected to tooth decay.

The dentist may suggest a tooth extraction when:

• Decay is severe and cannot accept a dental filling, bonding, or dental crown.
• An infection has destroyed the tooth or the surrounding bone structure.
• The extraction corrects the amount of space to adjacent teeth or for orthodontic placement of braces.
• Baby teeth block incoming permanent teeth.
• Wisdom teeth cause a dental health concern, impacted, or difficult to brush properly.

Wisdom teeth referred to as third molars, usually arrive in your late teens to early twenties. If wisdom teeth are misaligned, they may become misaligned, angeled inward, or outward. When poorly aligned, teeth crowding may occur and cause pain in the jawbone, nerves, or damage to other teeth.

Impacted wisdom teeth covered in soft tissue or partially erupt through the gum usually require extraction due to bacteria, decay, or infection.