At South Ealing Dental Practice we consider tooth extraction to be a last resort, and do the maximum to maintain your oral health. Unfortunately, at times the prognosis is too poor to let the tooth remain.

You may consider extraction in the following cases:

Wisdom teeth removal

Wisdom teeth problems usually occur when they erupt into an area which cannot fully accommodate them, (impaction). Here are some reasons why wisdom teeth may need to be removed?

• Where there has been recurrent episodes of pain within a 6 month period which has resulted in a need for antibiotics.

• Where the position of the wisdom tooth is causing the neighbouring  tooth to collect bacteria because the area cannot be maintained with normal oral hygiene procedures, resulting in  decay of the neighbouring tooth.

Overcrowding

In the past dentists have had requests by orthodontists to remove teeth to prepare the mouth for braces. We believe that this is rarely the case and extraction of perfectly healthy teeth should be avoided unless all other options have been exhausted..

Infection

If the decay process is such that it extends to the pulp, ( the centre of the tooth containing nerves and blood vessels) microbes from your mouth can enter the pulp, leading to infection. If the infection is so severe that the resulting abscess is too large or too well established, extraction may be the only option.

Broken down teeth

Teeth may be so broken down that there is not enough remaining to build a restoration on. Keeping the remaining tooth may lead to collection of bacteria and therefore extraction is recommended.

Mobile Teeth

If teeth are significantly mobile, (to the extent that you become aware of it) this may be a result of significant bone loss due to severe gum disease.