Place your teeth on expert hands. Our doctors will evaluate your teeth to decide if an extraction is necessary and will provide quality comfortable care.
You’ve probably heard the saying, “There’s nothing like your natural teeth.” While it’s true that you can keep your natural teeth for a lifetime, there are some circumstances where teeth cannot be saved and must come out. Tooth extractions range from simple, single front tooth extractions to more complicated molar or wisdom teeth extractions.
Most teeth that are extracted should be replaced, and sometimes you may find yourself in a situation where you have a choice between extraction and replacement or trying to save the tooth. With good oral health practices and regular dental exams you can keep dental problems to a minimum, and you may even be able to keep all your teeth for your entire life, but if problems do develop and a tooth is in danger, here are some things to consider.
Teeth can get damaged by accident, injury or as a matter of genetics. Gum disease can and almost definitely will happen if you don’t take good care of your teeth, but it can also happen because it runs in your family or is a side effect of illness or certain medications. Gum disease that is left untreated can eventually cause your teeth to separate from the gums and become loose. Tooth enamel can be damaged by acids in the foods you eat. Gum disease and tooth damage may lead to loose or decayed teeth, and without treatment, an extraction may be necessary.
“Dr. Kanumilli made my tooth extraction simple and painless despite my anxiety about the appointment. She was so kind and reassuring, and to be honest, I didn’t feel a thing during the procedure!”
– Kirsten, Gilberts Corner, VA
When Kirsten began experiencing a toothache that quickly got worse, she came in to see Dr. Kanumilli at Aldie. “Although I was embarrassed that I’d let my tooth get to that point, Dr. Kanumilli was very reassuring that I was doing the right thing now by getting my infected tooth taken care of,” Kirsten said. “You don’t find dentists like that everywhere!”
Dr. Kanumilli was quickly able to determine that Kirsten’s tooth couldn’t be saved. “With the pain I was in, I wasn’t surprised that my tooth needed to be extracted, just disappointed that I’d put off the dentist for that long.”
Kirsten shares coming to Aldie was the right choice to have her affected tooth addressed. “Having Dr. Kanumilli there to help me find the best replacement for my tooth and to help me take care of my smile from now on is the best reassurance,” she says. “Aldie was absolutely the right choice!”
If you are faced with losing a tooth, you should let your dentist help you decide if extraction or procedures to try to save the teeth are the best course of action. If the decision is made to take the tooth out, in nearly all cases you should consider having the tooth replaced. Wisdom teeth are generally not replaced, but most other teeth that are extracted should be replaced to maintain the integrity of your dentition (the arrangement and structure of all of your teeth) and to avoid problems with chewing or oral hygiene problems that can be caused by gaps.
Having a tooth extracted may involve a simple pulling of the tooth with only a local anesthetic, or it may require a more complex procedure that is done under moderate to deep sedation. The extraction of back teeth, including wisdom teeth, is generally more complicated because back teeth have complex root systems.
Though your own natural teeth are best, dentists like Dr. Kanumilli understand that extraction is sometimes the best thing to do for their patient’s oral health. If you have any concerns about tooth extraction, you can call Aldie Family & Cosmetic Dentistry to make a consultation appointment to come in and talk about extractions, replacements, and any other dental health matters you want to discuss.