“How bad does a tooth need to be to be extracted?”

Dental abscesses can lead to infections that spread through the head or neck area and could require hospital stay, IV antibiotics, and even become life threatening. Your body cannot solve that problem without help, so get the tooth out as soon as possible and your recovery and problems will be as limited as possible.

A "bad" tooth can mean a lot of things. The physical condition of the tooth, the tooth's position in the mouth, the health of the adjacent bone and gum support, the vitality of the tooth, the general condition of the mouth, the patient's ability or commitment to maintaining good oral hygiene and regular dental examinations, and the financial implications of addressing these conditions impact the decision of a dentist with their patient to extract. Sometimes there is no other option, and most other times all these factors weigh in. You have to find a dentist you are confident with and trust, and always see an Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon if in need of oral surgery or sedation or general anesthesia services.

Generally, in order for an extraction to be recommended, a tooth has to be beyond a reasonable hope of repairing it predictably.

Spiro C. Karras, DDS