Ease Your Anxiety – Reasons Why a Tooth Needs to Be Extracted

Learning the reasons for your recommended extraction and understanding what to expect can help ease your anxiety.

After our baby teeth fall out and our adult teeth come in, they are meant to last a lifetime. However, there are several reasons why a permanent tooth may need to be extracted. If your dentist tells you that you need a tooth pulled, it may come as a shock or even alarm you. However, learning the reasons for your recommended extraction and understanding what to expect can help ease your anxiety.

Why Might You Need a Tooth Pulled?

There are many reasons why your dentist may recommend a tooth extraction. Some of these include:

• Too many teeth – Having too many teeth in your mouth, also called hyperdontia, is a reason why you may need to have one or more teeth extracted to prevent chewing or biting issues.

• Getting braces – Before a person gets braces, your dentist may suggest having one or more teeth pulled to make room in your mouth so that the braces can fit and work correctly.

• Tooth infection – If tooth decay has reached the center of the tooth, known as the pulp, the decay’s bacteria can invade the area and cause infection. In severe cases, tooth extraction may be the only option.

• Your tooth is impacted – When a tooth is impacted, it is blocked from being able to erupt fully. This is typical for wisdom teeth.

• Damaged tooth – If tooth decay is so extensive that the tooth is unsalvageable, extraction is necessary. A severely broken or cracked tooth is considered damaged, and your dentist may opt to extract the damaged tooth.

How to Ease Your Anxiety

If you need one or more teeth pulled, you may feel anxiety or be apprehensive about having the procedure done. At The Dental Anesthesia Center, we understand these feelings and work hard to make you feel at ease by providing exceptional patient care in a relaxed, convenient atmosphere. We think it is also essential that our patients are educated about their procedures, which can help reduce stress and anxiety.

Sedation Dentistry

There are a variety of methods available to feel better and more relaxed during a tooth extraction. Sedation dentistry and sleep dentistry are two ways to relieve anxiety, fear, and discomfort.

If you suffer from mild to severe anxiety or phobia about going to the dentist, we are here to help! The Dental Anesthesia Center is a state-of-the-art dental facility for patients who require general anesthesia, deep sedation, or oral sedation for their dental care. When you come in for your appointment Dr. Hoffmann, Dr. Thoms, or Dr. Daugherty will decide which level is best for you.