Signs That You Need a Tooth Extracted or Evaluated

Your teeth are important — You need them to eat, speak, and of course, smile! Teeth shouldn’t hurt, they shouldn’t be mobile, and they shouldn’t have swollen tissue around them. They should also be easily cleanable and not chipped or broken. Any tooth that is painful, mobile, next to a swelling, or difficult to clean due to chipping, gum tissues on top of it, or broken fillings should be evaluated.     

Dentistry is complex, and there is no set algorithm for treating every tooth. For example, some painful teeth are easily treated with a small filling, and other painful teeth require removal (extraction) – it depends on the reason for the pain. This is why it is best to have your teeth checked regularly with an examination and X-rays.  

There are many reasons why a tooth would require extraction. The most common include: a broken tooth, recurrent larger cavities, dental infection or abscess, bone loss, or even a failed root canal. These are diagnosed during an examination and with X-rays.  

Wisdom teeth are a different matter because we are often taking them out to prevent pain, swelling, and infection. There are other issues that can develop with wisdom teeth, such as impaction, nerve involvement, pathology, and tissue infection, and cavities. Wisdom teeth do not always need removal though, and there are a lot of variables that may or may not lead to the extraction of these teeth. One of the most common indications for removal of a wisdom tooth is a lack of space behind the second molar for the wisdom tooth to fit. If it does not have space, it will either push into the tooth in front of it, only partially come through the tissue, causing an infection risk, or come through the tissue in an abnormal position (backwards or sideways).  

Again, there are a lot of variables that contribute to these decisions about wisdom teeth. It is best to meet with an oral and maxillofacial surgeon (oral surgeon) to discuss the factors that go into making these decisions. Oral surgeons are indisputably the wisdom tooth experts. They went to dental school (like a general dentist), but then trained for an additional 4-6 years to treat wisdom teeth, jaw disorders, complex bone grafting and reconstruction, dental implants, as well as other issues with the jaws and face. If you have questions about wisdom teeth, meet with an oral surgeon.