At Pearl Dental we consider tooth extraction to be the last resort, and do everything to maintain the lifespan of your natural teeth. However, extraction of a tooth may be necessary due to decay, gum disease, damage or for orthodontic reasons.

The most common reasons for needing an extraction are:

Wisdom teeth removal

If there isn’t enough space for wisdom teeth to grow at the back of your mouth, they can become impacted, causing pain, swelling and/or infection, so they may need to be removed.

Infection

If tooth decay or damage extends to the pulp (the centre of the tooth containing nerves and blood vessels) bacteria in the mouth can enter the pulp, leading to infection. If infection is so severe that antibiotics do not cure it, extraction may be needed to prevent the spread of infection. Your dentist will then talk you through the options for a permanent replacement, such as an implant.

Overcrowding

Sometimes dentists extract teeth to prepare the mouth for orthodontics. The goal of orthodontics is to properly align the teeth, which may not be possible if your teeth are too big for your mouth. Likewise, if a tooth can’t break through the gum, because there’s no room in the mouth for it, we may recommend extraction.