Commonly known as “wisdom teeth,” third molars typically emerge during the late teenage years or early 20s, and have the potential to cause a variety of oral health problems. Almost 90% of people have or have had at least one impacted wisdom tooth, which indicates that there isn’t sufficient space for the teeth to erupt into a normal position. Their location in the very back of the mouth makes them hard to clean and therefore more prone to decay, infection, gum disease, pain, and even the development of cysts or tumors in the surrounding tissues! They can also throw neighboring healthy teeth out of alignment.
Oftentimes, wisdom teeth are located in close proximity to nerves, sinus cavities and other teeth, so it’s important that you have a skilled expert remove the teeth if they become impacted. As board-certified oral surgeons, we’re exceptionally qualified to remove your wisdom teeth while maintaining your comfort and safety at all times.
Teeth can become broken or infected for several reasons, including trauma and decay. Bacterial buildup due to poor dental hygiene is often the cause of dental infections. Sometimes repairs, medications, or a combination of both enable our doctors to save your tooth. In such cases, we thoroughly evaluate your teeth to determine what course of treatment is best suited to your specific issue. When damage or decay is extensive, some teeth cannot be rehabilitated through treatment. Though we do our utmost to preserve your natural teeth, extraction may be our only option.
The extraction process for most teeth is fairly straightforward. After making you comfortable with anesthesia, we grip the tooth firmly with a pair of forceps and carefully pull it loose from the socket. Unless it’s a wisdom tooth, a tooth should be replaced once it’s removed, in order to restore the function and esthetics of your smile, as well as to protect your jaw from deterioration. Dental implants are the best overall tooth replacement option, not just in terms of function and esthetics, but also for long-lasting performance.
Missing teeth can not only limit your ability to eat, speak and smile comfortably, they may have deeper implications beyond simple chewing function and smile esthetics. Teeth rely on each other for support. When one is missing, the teeth on either side of the gap can shift out of alignment, eventually requiring orthodontic treatment. Further, the absence of tooth roots in the jawbone can cause the jawbone to begin receding, leading to further tooth loss and giving your face an unhealthy, sunken, and even prematurely aged appearance!
Dental implants, recognized as today’s “gold standard” for tooth replacement, can prevent you from experiencing any of those issues. If you follow a tooth extraction or trauma-related tooth loss with dental implant placement, you can continue eating the foods you love, speak and smile without embarrassment, and even significantly boost your self-confidence. All this can be yours, since nothing looks more authentic or lasts longer than our dental implants in Excelsior & Minnetonka, MN. Even if you’ve already begun to suffer bone loss, our team of board-certified oral surgeons can reverse it through bone grafting before placing your dental implants.