Dental Tooth Extractions in American Canyon, CA

Reasons why you might need a tooth-extraction

Severe Dental decay

This is the most common reason for tooth extraction. Everyone has bacteria in their mouth. Some types of bacteria produce acids that dissolve the outer layer of teeth. These bacteria can bond together and form a layer called plaque. Plaque gets attached to teeth. If not removed by brushing or flossing, it can eat away at teeth, creating a cavity or a hole.

Dental decay can get severe and reach the soft nerve center of the tooth. This can cause toothache or increased sensitivity to hot and cold foods and liquids. A severe cavity can weaken the tooth causing it to crack or break. In many cases, the damaged tooth can be saved with a root canal and a crown. However, if the dental decay is too severe, it may be better to pull the tooth out.

Gum Disease

Build-up of plaque and tartar can also affect the gums and the bone surrounding the teeth. If the structural integrity of the gums or bone around the tooth deteriorates too much, then it may be necessary to remove the tooth and place a dental bridge or an implant in that area .

Damage to Teeth Due to Trauma / Accident

Sadly, accidents can happen with anyone. Teeth can be damaged from the impact of the mishap, sports injury, workplace accident or a motor accident. We try to preserve the tooth but in some cases it might not be possible.

Overcrowding of Teeth

Orthodontic treatments like Invisalign® or classic braces may require extracting one or more teeth to allow the surrounding teeth to adjust and align. Tooth overcrowding is usually treated with a simple extraction.

Wisdom Teeth

The third molars or the wisdom teeth have the potential to create a number of oral health issues. If left to grow on their own, they can create problems that affect the entire mouth. - Some patients do not have room in their jawbone to accommodate the third molars. Problems arise when the teeth begin to grow where there is not enough space. Surrounding teeth come under pressure and this is likely to cause extreme pain.
- Wisdom teeth can grow crooked, sideways or misaligned. This makes accessing them difficult and so it becomes hard to clean or maintain them.
- Sometimes, wisdom teeth don’t erupt from the gums completely. If they have come up only halfway, the “flap” of gum tissue can trap bacteria and is an easy spot for infections. In many cases, it is better to remove the wisdom teeth to avoid expensive and intrusive dental procedures in the future.

Bone graft after extraction

There may be instances in which a lot of bone may have been lost in the extraction of the tooth. This may call for bone grafting, which is the procedure of adding bone-like biomaterial to the jaw where the natural bone has been lost. This bone grafting material triggers your own cells to start rebuilding bone mass. Over time, the entire grafted area starts functioning like your natural bone.

Even if not much bone is lost during extraction, over a period of a few months, bone loss generally occurs because the bone starts to reabsorb in the jaw.

If the patient is a candidate for an implant, we almost always do a bone-graft on the same day as tooth extraction. It takes a few months for the surgical site to heal and then it is ready to take on an implant.