How your dentist in Shelby, NC, can help your smile

Did you know that having a tooth extracted can sometimes help your smile? It’s true! Sometimes teeth are so badly damaged and diseased, it’s best to have them removed to not spread the decay and disease to other teeth. In other cases, there is not enough space for teeth, so you may experience crowding, pressure, and pain. Your dentist, Dr. Joseph R. Hendrick, Jr., in Shelby, NC, offers a full range of dental services to help your smile, including dental extractions.

An extraction may be necessary if you have a tooth that:

• Has lost too much tooth structure to be repaired with conventional restorations
• Is too badly infected or decayed to be treated with root canal therapy
• Has lost too much bone support due to periodontal disease, so the tooth is now loose

You may also need one tooth or several teeth removed because of upcoming orthodontic treatment. Removing teeth can make it easier and quicker to move other teeth into proper position, achieving better results. Too many teeth can give your smile a crowded look and make your teeth difficult to keep clean.

Removing wisdom teeth is the most common type of tooth extraction. Most people don’t have room in their jaws for a third set of molars, the wisdom teeth. As they erupt, your third molars can press on your other teeth, causing pain which can be severe. Sometimes wisdom teeth don’t fully erupt, a condition called impaction. If you leave impacted wisdom teeth alone, they can form cysts, causing bone destruction.

Tooth extraction may be necessary, but only your dentist can tell you for sure. If you have questions about whether tooth extraction is necessary, talk with an expert. Just pick up your phone and call Dr. Joseph R. Hendrick, Jr. in Shelby, NC. Find out more about how tooth extraction can help your smile by calling today!