Taking care of your smile is a lifelong endeavor. Not only are your teeth and other oral structures constantly under the scrutiny of various oral health concerns, but there are significantly fewer natural defenses in your pocket to successfully fend them off every time. As such, your grin requires all the help it can get in order to remain healthy. Sometimes, however, major infections may have other plans in mind, causing extraction to be the only viable option. In today’s blog, your North Hollywood, CA dentist identifies the need for tooth extraction in certain cases and discusses how it benefits your oral health in the long run.

A Tooth Beyond Repair

It goes without saying that, if given the chance, nobody would opt for the loss of a tooth. After all, sporting a gap in one’s grin certainly detracts from the person’s overall smile appearance, and doing so can even cause a person to feel insecure or ashamed of their grin.

The problem arises, however, when a tooth is so badly damaged that even pursuing a different restorative option will not help it. Take, for example, the effects of tooth decay. We know that decay occurs when bacteria feed off of sugar and produce destructive acids. The longer this process goes on, the deeper an infection works its way into your tooth. If it is able to reach the inner part of your tooth and damage your nerves, it will continue to do so until the entire structure is compromised.

When a tooth is compromised, no amount of restorative treatment will save it. It is as if there is not enough structure to support rebuilding. Because of this, your dentist may recommend extraction. Contact our team to learn more.

Threatening Surrounding Structures

In addition to reaching a state beyond saving, your dentist may recommend an extraction in order to save your surrounding or neighboring teeth. As we mentioned previously, the infection simply does not go away on its own. Even when a tooth is compromised, it can continue to spread to nearby structures and cause their demise as well. By removing the compromised tooth, our team is able to mitigate the infection at its source, thus saving other surrounding teeth. To learn more about this process, give our team a call.

An Impact to Your Oral Function

Finally, your dentist may place tooth extraction on the table if a tooth is so damaged it significantly impairs your ability to function properly. For example, biting, chewing, and eating can become much more of a chore than it has to be when decay is targeting your sensitive nerves.

Learn More Today

Contact Modern Smiles in North Hollywood, CA by calling 818-763-9353 to schedule your next appointment with our office and learn more about the value in tooth extraction in extreme circumstances.