If you have infected gums, you may think a tooth removal could solve things. Wouldn’t the latter treatment eliminate your gums’ inflammation, bleeding, and tenderness? Still, it’s best to confirm whether a tooth extraction can cure gum disease first. The good news is that your local Garland dentist is here to help you do so. To that end, keep reading to see why tooth extraction isn’t a gum disease cure and other treatment options to consider.
Extraction Can’t Cure Gum Disease
It’s a fact that teeth can interfere with effective gum disease therapy. However, removing them wouldn’t automatically cure your condition.
Remember, gum disease – particularly its second form, periodontitis – is an infection of your gums. Your teeth aren’t the source of this oral health problem. More crucially, removing them won’t reverse the infection once it’s very severe. Only mild gum disease (i.e., gingivitis) can be fully treated, usually with a professional dental cleaning.
At best, a tooth extraction would help you manage late-stage gum disease. If your infection could cause tooth loss, removing the teeth would ensure a cleaner result. The extraction would also reduce your risk of a later (and harsh) tooth infection. Even so, note that the removal should only be a last resort.
Are There Other Treatment Options?
Of course, you can avoid needing a tooth extraction as part of gum disease treatment. Dentists have several ways to treat gum infections without removing your teeth, including:
- Thorough Home Oral Care – Before your gum disease gets severe, you could try to reverse it with twice-daily brushing and once-daily flossing. These habits would remove the plaque irritating your gums, giving the pink tissues a chance to recover and heal.
- Scaling & Root Planing – If you need professional care, scaling and root planing could serve you better than a tooth extraction. This service is a deep cleaning of your gums that removes plaque and bacteria below the gum line. Once it’s done, your gum tissue can slowly return to normal.
If you do need (and get) a tooth extraction, you should consider tooth replacement afterward. Restorations like dental implants could restore your smile after your gum disease is treated.
As you can see, you shouldn’t expect tooth extraction to cure gum disease. Talk to your dental provider about what role (if any) it’d play in your periodontal therapy.
About the Practice
La Prada Family Dentistry is based in Garland, TX. Led by Drs. Ho, Kang, and Patel, our practice prides itself on its very comprehensive dental care. We tailor our preventive, cosmetic, and restorative treatments to each patient’s smile, ensuring the best results possible. Our team is just as ready and able to fix cavities and gum disease as we are to place dental implants! For more details or to book a visit, please contact us on our website or by phone at (214)-227-6577.
