Removing a tooth that cannot be saved — and planning what replaces it.
Overview
An extraction is the removal of a tooth that cannot reasonably be saved, or that is causing problems by being where it is. It is the last resort, not the first — a natural tooth is worth keeping wherever the effort is justified.
Simple extractions loosen and lift the tooth out. Surgical extractions — impacted wisdom teeth, fractured roots — involve raising the gum and sometimes sectioning the tooth. Both are done under local anaesthetic.
The decision that matters is not really the extraction. It is what replaces the gap, and that is worth deciding before the tooth comes out rather than after.
Suitability
If one of these suits you better than tooth extraction, we will say so at your consultation — including when the right answer is to do nothing for now.
Step by step
We confirm the tooth genuinely cannot be saved, and map the root shape and nerve position. For lower wisdom teeth a CBCT is sometimes needed.
We discuss what will replace the tooth — implant, bridge, denture, or nothing — because it affects whether we preserve the socket.
The area is fully numbed. You will feel firm pressure and hear noise, but not pain. Tell us if you feel anything sharp.
The tooth is loosened and removed. Surgical cases involve raising the gum and sometimes stitches.
You bite on gauze until bleeding stops, and we go through the aftercare properly before you leave.
Benefits
Ends the pain and infection from a tooth that cannot be saved
Prevents infection spreading to the bone and surrounding tissue
Removes a wisdom tooth that is damaging the healthy tooth in front of it
Creates space where orthodontic treatment requires it
Socket preservation at the same visit protects the site for a future implant
After treatment
Who will treat you
MDS · MNDC (New Zealand) · MADC (Australia) · PGDAI (CIIOMFI, France) · Fellow ICOI (USA)
Dr. G. Vijay Srinivas is an Oral & Maxillofacial Pathologist and Implant Dentistry practitioner with more than 35 years of clinical experience, and the founder of AP Superspeciality Dental Hospitals.
Full profileWhere
Complex surgical cases — full-mouth rehabilitation, zygomatic implants, cases needing sedation — are carried out at our Banjara Hills Elite hospital. If your case needs that team, we will move you there rather than compromise on it.
Questions
During the extraction, no — the area is fully numbed and you should feel firm pressure and hear some noise, but not pain. If you feel anything sharp, tell us and we will add more anaesthetic. Afterwards, expect soreness and swelling for three to five days, which ordinary painkillers manage. Pain that gets worse after day three is not normal — call us, as it usually means dry socket.
The blood clot that forms in the socket is the dressing over exposed bone. If it is dislodged, the bone is left bare and it is intensely painful, typically starting around day three. Avoiding it is straightforward: no rinsing, spitting or straws for 24 hours, and no smoking for at least 72. Smokers get dry socket several times more often than non-smokers.
No, and this is over-treated. A wisdom tooth that is fully through, cleanable and not causing problems can usually be left alone. We recommend removal when it is impacted, repeatedly infected, decayed, or damaging the tooth in front. We will show you the X-ray and explain why rather than remove it as a matter of routine.
Usually two to three months, once the socket has healed — though in selected cases an implant can go in at the same visit as the extraction. The important thing is to decide before the extraction, not after: if an implant is likely, a socket preservation graft at the same appointment limits the bone shrinkage and makes the implant simpler later.
Most people are back to normal in three to seven days. Swelling peaks around day two and then settles. The socket itself closes over three to four weeks, and the bone underneath continues remodelling for a few months. Surgical and wisdom tooth extractions sit at the longer end.
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