Though it doesn’t happen very often, there may come a time when extracting a tooth is the best solution for keeping your smile healthy. In most cases (except for the case of wisdom teeth), the tooth will have to be replaced before its loss affects the rest of your dental health. For instance, following tooth loss, the jawbone around the tooth root’s socket can be resorbed by the body, losing strength and density in the process.
To preserve the bone’s integrity, your dentist might suggest extraction site preservation, which is the process of building up the bone structure to prevent jawbone resorption. Site preservation is often especially beneficial if you wish to replace your extracted tooth with a dental implant.
When is Tooth Extraction Required?
Despite the general goal of keeping all of your healthy, natural teeth for life, extraction can sometimes be the preferable treatment option, such as when:
- Wisdom teeth become impacted and endanger the teeth around them
- A tooth becomes too damaged to fix, even with a dental crown
- A tooth’s root is fractured or broken and cannot be restored
- A tooth is severely crooked and cannot be straightened
- A tooth becomes too infected to save
The Benefits of Extraction Site Preservation
By preventing excessive jawbone resorption, you can increase your chances of successfully replacing the tooth and preserving the ones that remain. For instance, extraction site preservation can allow you to retain enough jawbone structure to receive and support a dental implant without the need for additional restorative procedures.
