Jim,

Correct, the tooth is infected.

Teeth become infected for a number of reasons. Here are some them:

1) Decay which can occur on the exterior or interior of the tooth.

2) Recession along the gum line exposing the sensitive root area to hot and cold temperatures over a period of time can cause enough trauma to the tooth to render it infected.

3) Recurrent decay underneath a previous filling.

4) Grinding or clenching your teeth on a habitual basis. The force put on the teeth during bruxism causes trauma to the live, nutrient rich periodontal ligament that cradles and attaches the tooth to the bone. From the chronic trauma, the ligament becomes inflamed, bacteria moves in and infection develops.

5) A misaligned bite can cause repetitive trauma to those teeth that are being over worked while chewing. This can cause the nerves to die inside of those overworked teeth and infection moves in.

6) Unresolved gum disease can allow enough bacteria to get in underneath the gum line eventually infecting the tooth.

7) If an adjacent tooth is non vital, has a root canal or has a periodontal problem, the bacteria from that tooth will travel to the surrounding teeth which can result in infection of the other teeth.

All tooth extractions are surgical. Some require an incision while others don't. Some require the tooth to be sectioned in pieces while others don't. But all extractions are a surgical procedure. Removing the canine is a bit tricky because the surgeon has to take great care during the removal so as to not disturb too much of the surrounding bone. The idea is to remove the tooth and all diseased tissue while leaving as much bone intact as possible. That is why I recommend an oral surgeon do the extraction.

Bryanna