The Smile Center wants to help you preserve the beautiful looking and functioning teeth that grew with you. Dr. Kent and his team do their part to keep your teeth healthy and looking their best with preventive services and tailored guidance on home care.

Should decay or other trauma arise, root canal therapy may be the only means to save your natural tooth. However, root canal treatment cannot save every tooth. Extraction is always a last resort but sometimes badly damaged or decayed teeth must be pulled. For optimal appearance, function, feel, and long-term health, tooth replacement options such as dental bridges and restorations that are supported by dental implants are generally recommended.

The decision to extract has serious consequences, so it should not usually be done in haste. There may be some instances where swift intervention is needed, though, to bring quick relief of pain and get you back to your healthiest self.

Sometimes people may have extra teeth that block others from coming in, or extraction may be necessary to address crowding and prepare the patient for braces. Other times removal of teeth may require emergency care. In the event of the following conditions or situations, don’t hesitate to call , regardless of hour or day, for urgent treatment:

• Severe infection — Should antibiotics or root canal therapy not cure decay or damage that has extended to the pulp or nerve center of the tooth, an extraction may be necessary to prevent infection from spreading. You will know a severe infection, as the pain can be intense and become intolerable. Facial swelling and swollen gums are also indicators of an abscess, a serious pus-filled pocket of infection that develops in or around the tooth root.
• Consequences of a knocked-out tooth — Slips, falls, and contact sports can result in an after-hours trip to the dentist. The longer a tooth remains “avulsed” or out of its socket, the greater the odds the doctor will not be able to reinstate it because bone may not reattach to the root of the tooth. Usually, Dr. Kent will know if treatment was successful, in three to eight weeks.
• Impacted wisdom teeth — Back teeth or third molars often become stuck in the jaw as they develop, usually during late teenaged years or early adulthood. These impacted teeth can irritate the gums, and produce the type of pain and swelling that ultimately leads to an urgent call.

Keep the Smile Center number close. Situations can arise unexpectedly, which may require emergency tooth extraction at the Buffalo, NY office. To prevent conditions that may result in the need to remove a tooth, schedule your next check-up and cleaning.