Have a Bad Tooth? Don’t Put Off Extraction

Are you putting off the need to have a bad tooth pulled? Teeth that are severely diseased need be extracted if a root canal is not an option. It such cases, it is not uncommon for a tooth to produce significant pain, and then eventually get better. Don’t be fooled into thinking that your tooth is now fine and healthy enough to be left alone. Generally, this happens because the tooth and its nerves have eventually died. Strong discoloration will soon be apparent if it is not already visible.

If the tooth needs to be extracted due to gum disease, your situation will only worsen if you wait to have it removed. Gum disease will eventually destroy the surrounding bone, which is essentially your body attempting to “self-extract” your tooth. While the end result may be that your tooth becomes loose and falls out on its own, you have now put yourself under significant risk when it comes to your oral health and your potential candidacy for dental implants to replace your missing tooth.

Waiting Can Compromises Your Candidacy for Dental implants

Dental implants need strong bone support to be successful. Each dental implant involves a titanium screw that is secured into the jawbone to act as your artificial tooth root. This is what makes dental implants uniquely advantageous compared to dentures or other removable tooth replacement options. However, a dental implant cannot be immediately placed if the surrounding bone has been destroyed by gum disease.

A lack of bone support doesn’t mean you are not eligible for dental implants, but it does mean that you may need a bone graft or sinus lift in order to set the stage for successful dental implants. Thus, your dental implants may be more expensive and more complicated than it should have to be if you had elected to have your tooth extracted in a timely manner.

Dr. Wayne Suway is an award-winning implants dentist who is known for providing comfortable and successful tooth replacement for even the most complex cases. However, we always educate our patients on ways to avoid dental implant complications or a more invasive procedure. If your dentist has advised a tooth extraction, this typically means that your tooth is no longer viable and needs to be removed in order to prevent worsening consequences. Just because you are not experiencing pain, does not mean that gum disease is not destroying your bone structure as you wait.