You and your dentist need to determine whether to keep or take out a tooth that is creating difficulties. This is one of the most important things you can do for your oral health. There are good alternatives to tooth extraction now that Natural Tooth Preservation has come a long way. However, maintaining your natural teeth is usually the best way to stay healthy and comfortable in the long term. Having your natural teeth is crucial for more than just how they look. They also help you chew, talk, and even keep your jawbone healthy. And if you have an abscess or pain, current therapies for tooth infections usually let you keep the tooth instead of pulling it out.
Why it’s important to keep your natural teeth
Implants and other prostheses have gone a long way, but they still can’t completely copy how your actual tooth fits into your bite and reacts to pressure. This is why keeping natural teeth should be the first thing to do whenever possible. Natural teeth give you sensory feedback, keep other teeth stable, and help keep the shape of your face. Keeping what’s currently there frequently leads to superior results in terms of both function and beauty, especially for front teeth.
When a Tooth Can’t Be Saved
In some circumstances, it’s just not possible to save a tooth. There might not be enough healthy structure left to work with if the crown is entirely broken and just the root is left, or if the root has broken vertically. In some cases, you might want to look at options other than pulling the tooth, such as implants or bridges. Still, the first thing you should do is see if any kind of natural tooth preservation is possible.
Giving Teeth a Second Chance and Treating Infections
Many infected teeth can now be salvaged, especially those with problems at the root tip, thanks to better ways to treat tooth infections. Teeth that have already been treated and become inflamed again can often be treated again or have root-end surgery to restore their full function.
Keeping Cosmetic Work Safe During Treatment
It’s understandable that many people with crowns or veneers are worried about how dental work may change their looks. We can generally clean and cure the root tip without damaging existing restorations, which is good news. This lets patients keep their smile while still getting the benefits of natural tooth preservation.
Tooth-saving procedures have a high success rate.
A lot of people with crowns or veneers are apprehensive about how dental work can impact their looks, and that’s normal. Fortunately, there are also ways to clean and heal the root tip without taking out the tooth that don’t harm existing restorations. Patients will be happy to hear this since it means they can preserve their smile while still obtaining the benefits of preserving their natural teeth.
Decades of research back up operations like apicoectomy that are aimed to save natural teeth. In fact, their long-term success rates range from 70% to 90%, depending on the situation. Natural tooth preservation works better or worse depending on a number of circumstances, such as where the infection is, the shape of the root, and how well earlier treatments performed. But if the outlook is good, saving the tooth is usually the best and most stable option.
Know when to let go
We know that retaining as many natural teeth as possible is important for long-term oral health and general wellness. However, we also don’t want to go too far. If you try to save a tooth that probably won’t be pain-free or usable for at least 5 to 10 years, you can wind up angry, with more infections, and more difficult procedures later on. You should always be honest about when to treat and when to replace when you talk about taking care of your teeth.
In the end, be up to date and be practical.
It’s not always easy to decide whether to save or extract a tooth. It takes a lot of thought, creating goals for the patient, and having realistic expectations. A dentist should give advice based on facts and look into all the strategies to keep teeth healthy when it makes sense. If someone says you need to have a tooth pulled, ask, “Is there any way to save this tooth?”
You may be shocked by how many options you have. Knowing how important it is to retain your natural teeth could help you make the best choice for your health, your confidence, and your smile.
