Oral Surgery in Spokane, WA

There are multiple reasons why a person might need a tooth, or even several teeth, extracted.

•  A tooth may be damaged or extensively decayed. The obstacles associated with repairing such teeth may make extraction the only choice. In other cases, the needed treatment's cost, or else a question of its long-term success, may make extraction the most reasonable option.
• Some teeth are not good candidates for root canal treatment. If receiving needed root canal treatment is not possible, the only alternative is to extract the tooth.
• In cases where periodontal (gum) disease  has caused a significant amount of bone loss and the affected teeth have become very mobile, extraction may be necessary.
• Poorly positioned or nonfunctional teeth may need to be extracted. Some teeth are extracted because they have poor alignment or positioning. For example, some third molars are extracted because they constantly irritate a person's cheek (they either rub against it or cause the person to bite it).  Some teeth are extracted because they place the person at substantial risk for experiencing dental problems. As an example, some third molars come into place but have no matching tooth to bite against. Since these teeth lie in a region of the mouth that is hard to clean, both it and its neighboring 2nd molar are at increased risk for developing tooth decay and/or periodontal disease. In this type of situation, it may make sense to have the tooth extracted. Impacted teeth can be poorly positioned and are usually non-functional. This combination of factors makes them candidates for extraction.
• Tooth extractions may be required for orthodontic treatment. The orthodontist may be limited by the amount of jaw space (length) they have to work with. If so, some strategically-located teeth may need to be extracted.
• At Spokane Dental, our goal is to help you retain ALL of your teeth for as long as possible. Extracting a tooth can lead to other complications in the mouth such as changes in your bite functionality due to shifting of the teeth to fill in a space left by an extracted neighbor.  We can discuss with you all the pros and cons of possible treatment and help you decide what is best for you.