Emergencies that Might Call for Tooth Extraction

Posted April 21, 2020

Not every dental emergency is the same, and though we can often save children’s teeth with conservative tooth restorations, some emergency situations may call for extracting a tooth. Today, we look at just a few types of emergencies in which your child’s tooth may need to be extracted for the good of their oral health, and why the need is often considered an emergency.

Severe trauma to your child’s tooth

Kids can sometimes be accident-prone, but even when they’re not, they may experience a traumatic injury to the face or oral structures that causes severe damage to one or more of their teeth. The type and extent of the tooth damage depends on the specific emergency, but in severe cases, the problem may be more than any restoration can address. Leaving a severely damaged tooth in place can cause a variety of different problems for your child’s oral health, and avoiding these problems could require extracting the tooth.

An extreme tooth infection (decay)

Accidental injuries are among the most common types of emergencies (dental and otherwise), but when it comes to your child’s teeth, they aren’t the most common threat. For people of all ages, the health and integrity of their teeth is most often compromised by the development of tooth decay, which can become extremely severe if given the time to. For children, this poses several additional problems than it does for adults. For example, if the decay develops in a primary tooth and becomes severe, it can also threaten the permanent tooth that is still developing. In extreme cases, extracting a severely infected primary tooth can help your child avoid such problems, and the potential need for additional treatment later.

A primary tooth that won’t fall out

Keeping all of your child’s primary teeth healthy until they’re ready to fall out on their own is a key to helping them prepare for a lifetime of healthy smiles. However, on rare occasions, the primary tooth remains even after it was meant to fall out, and can interfere with the growth and development of the permanent tooth that’s supposed to replace it. If left in place, the primary tooth can cause several problems for your child’s permanent tooth and oral health, and it may require extraction to make way for your child’s smile to fully develop.

Learn if your child needs emergency tooth extraction

Depending on the nature and severity of your child’s dental emergency, tooth extraction may be the best way to preserve the future of your child’s oral health. To learn more, schedule an appointment by calling Pediatric Dental Care at Casa Linda in Dallas, TX today at 214-321-4880. We proudly serve patients who live around Casa Linda and all surrounding Dallas communities.