Should wisdom teeth with decay be extracted or filled? It turns out that this is how it should be treated

After tooth decay occurs, many patients think that they can just take some anti-inflammatory drugs and the pain will go away. In fact, this is not the case. Tooth decay is extremely harmful and cannot be cured by anti-inflammatory drugs. For wisdom tooth caries accompanied by apical periodontitis, the initial diagnosis recommended retaining the affected tooth and performing pulp devitalization. After a follow-up visit, other doctors recommended extraction after examination.

1. Is it better to fill or extract a decayed tooth?

Experts say that it generally depends on the condition of the tooth. Generally, if it can be filled, it should be filled, and if it can be saved, it should not be extracted. If it really can't be retained, extraction is recommended. The severity of tooth decay determines whether filling or extraction is better. Generally, if the decay is not too serious, we still recommend retaining natural teeth to the maximum extent possible and taking different treatment methods according to the degree of decay. For mild decay, filling can prevent the development of caries and restore the shape and function of the teeth.

For caries that have damaged the dental pulp, root canal treatment is required to remove the infected substances in the pulp cavity and root canal, and then porcelain teeth are made for maintenance. However, for more serious tooth decay, is it better to fill the tooth or extract the tooth? That is, the tooth decay has spread to the pulp or root, and the tooth cannot be retained through root canal treatment. If you blindly retain the affected tooth, it will only spread the caries to the adjacent teeth, and in severe cases it may even cause systemic diseases. Generally, for this type of tooth decay, doctors will recommend extraction to prevent damage to adjacent teeth and protect oral health.

2. How to treat tooth decay

Drug treatment is a method of using drugs to inhibit the development of caries on the basis of grinding away caries. It is suitable for shallow caries in permanent teeth that have not yet formed cavities, and shallow and medium caries cavities in deciduous front teeth. Commonly used drugs include silver nitrate and sodium fluoride.

Silver amalgam fillings. For teeth that have already formed substantial defects, filling surgery is currently the most widely used and most effective method. The basic process can be divided into two steps: first remove the carious tissue and the weak tooth tissue that has lost its support, and then make the cavity into a reasonable shape according to certain requirements. Then it is filled with filling materials to restore its inherent shape and function. Suitable for filling cavities in back teeth and hidden areas of front teeth.

3. If wisdom teeth are decayed and do not bite properly, it is recommended to remove them

The wisdom tooth was carious and accompanied by apical periodontitis. The initial diagnosis recommended retaining the affected tooth and a pulp devitalization surgery was performed. After a follow-up visit, other doctors recommended extraction after examination. Now it should be noted that as long as the wisdom teeth are not growing straight and there is no bite relationship, it is recommended to remove them.

Because there is no occlusal relationship, there is no chewing function and it is considered a waste tooth. Since wisdom teeth are not easy to grow straight, they are prone to food impaction with adjacent teeth, causing caries of both teeth. Wisdom teeth are located at the free distal end, which makes them difficult to clean and prone to caries. In addition, deep wisdom tooth blind pockets (especially in the mandible) can easily cause pericoronitis and repeated inflammation and pain.