Could your smile or oral health be improved with a tooth extraction? In some cases, removal of one or more teeth is the best way to protect your oral health or improve your smile. Slidell, LA, dentists Dr. Susan Silvestri and Dr. Ronnie Deniger of Silvestri & Deniger Dentistry provide tooth extraction and other dental services important for your oral health.

When is tooth extraction needed?

Your Slidell dentist may recommend extraction in these situations:

• Tooth Decay: Fillings won't work if your tooth is severely decayed. When there's not enough healthy tooth structure remaining, an extraction may be the best option. An extraction will also prevent the decay from spreading to nearby teeth.
• Impacted Wisdom Teeth: Many people don't have enough room in their mouths for their third set of molars, commonly called the wisdom teeth. Impacted wisdom teeth are blocked by bone and tissue, which prevents them from erupting normally. Extraction may also be needed if your wisdom teeth have erupted but are decayed.
• Trauma: Have you fallen and injured a tooth? It may be possible for your dentist to save an injured tooth with a root canal or restore a fractured tooth with a crown. Unfortunately, extraction may be the only option if the damage is severe.
• Dental Abscess: It's often possible to treat abscesses with antibiotics and root canal therapy. In a small percentage of cases, the infection doesn't subside even after antibiotic treatment. Extraction is a necessity in this case.
• Orthodontic Treatment: Extraction may also be needed if you will begin orthodontic treatment soon. Removing a few teeth provides ample room to realign your smile if you have a crowding issue.
• Dentures: Extraction of your remaining teeth is a necessary step if you plan to wear full dentures. If you will wear immediate dentures, you'll receive your dentures as soon as your teeth are pulled.

Do you think you may need a tooth extraction? Call Slidell, LA, dentists Dr. Susan Silvestri and Dr. Ronnie Deniger or Silvestri & Deniger Dentistry at (985) 641-7200 to schedule an appointment.