EXTRACTIONS
Why would a tooth need to be extracted?
A dental extraction is the removal of a tooth from the mouth. Extractions are performed for a wide variety of reasons. Tooth decay (property known as dental caries) that has destroyed enough tooth structure to prevent restoration is the most frequent indication for extraction of teeth. Extractions of impacted or problematic wisdom teeth are routinely Performed, asare extractions of some permanent teeth to make space for orthodontic treatment (straightening of teeth).
Some times a tooth is considered so threatened (due to internal cracking etc) that future infection is considered likely or inevitable, and a pulpectomy is advisable to prevent it. But usually some inflammation an/or infection is already present, within or below the tooth. To cure the infection and save the tooth, it is necessary for the dentist to drill into the pulp chamber, and remove the infected pulp by scraping it out of the root canals.
Once that is done, the dentist fills the cavity with inert materials and seals up the opening. This procedure is known as root canal therapy.
