Reasons for Pulling Teeth
Although permanent teeth were meant to last a lifetime, there are a number of reasons why a tooth may be need to be removed. A very common reason involves a tooth that is too badly damaged, from trauma or decay, to be repaired.
Other reasons include:
A crowded mouth. Sometimes dentists pull teeth to prepare the mouth for orthodontics (braces). The goal of orthodontics is to properly align the teeth, which may not be possible if your teeth are too big for your mouth. Likewise, if a tooth cannot break through the gum (erupt) because there is not room in the mouth for it, your dentist may recommend pulling it. This is often why third molars (wisdom teeth) are removed.
Infection. If tooth decay or damage extends to the pulp -- the centre of the tooth containing nerves and blood vessels -- bacteria in the mouth can enter the pulp, leading to infection. Often this can be corrected with root canal therapy (RCT), but if the infection is so severe that antibiotics or RCT do not cure it, extraction may be needed to prevent the spread of infection.