Teeth may need to be extracted for several reasons, including but not limited to:
- Severe periodontal disease
- Irreversible damage to the nerve tissue inside the tooth (and the patient decides against saving the tooth)
- Failed endodontic therapy
- Extreme fracture or decay of the tooth structure
- Improper positioning of the tooth or for orthodontic purposes
- Impacted tooth
To a great extent, the reason for the extraction will influence the amount of discomfort you might experience subsequent to the procedure. When the tooth is to be extracted for periodontal reasons, there will be reduced bone support for the tooth and the tooth can be removed more easily than if there were full bone support. In this case there might be decreased discomfort following the extraction.
An impacted tooth is a tooth that has not erupted (emerged fully into the oral cavity). The impacted tooth may be totally surrounded by bone (a full bony impaction), partially surrounded by bone (partial bony impaction) or be only surrounded by soft gum tissue (a soft tissue impaction). Wisdom teeth are not the only teeth that may be impacted. Every permanent tooth can be impacted. If the impact does not appear to affect adjacent teeth, no treatment may be required. If it affects other teeth, it may need to be removed.