Tooth extraction

An extraction is the planned removal of a tooth that cannot or should not be saved. Common reasons include deep decay, a crack, advanced gum disease, a failed root canal, or a tooth that blocks braces. Wisdom teeth are a special case of the same skill.

Simple vs. surgical

• Simple: the tooth is numb, loosened, and lifted without opening the gum
• Surgical: the gum is opened, a little bone may be removed, and the tooth may be taken out in pieces

Surgical does not mean something went wrong. It means the anatomy is respected so nearby bone, the sinus, or the nerve is not forced.

Dentists refer when a tooth looks harder than a routine pull. Patients also come in after a crown came off and only root tips remain.

• Broken molars or fractured premolars
• Baby teeth that will not fall out and block adult teeth
• Orthodontic extractions that need surgical access
• Patients on blood thinners who need a coordinated plan

If the gum looks unusual, we may recommend a biopsy at the same time. IV sedation is available if sitting through the visit awake is not realistic.

The first visit is a consultation. Dr. Curtis will perform a full examination, medical history review, imaging review, and will come up with the treatment plan that best fits the individual patient. If you have any recent imaging, please bring it to this appointment or send it to us ahead of time.

After imaging and consent, the tooth is numbed. Sedation, if planned, starts first. Dr. Curtis will show you the film and point out the sinus or nerve when those structures matter.

The socket is cleaned. If an implant is likely later, we may place a socket graft the same day. You leave with gauze and written instructions. Do not drive yourself home after sedation.

Bite on gauze, rest, and keep the clot in place. No straws, no smoking, no vigorous rinsing the first day. Over-the-counter pain medicine is enough for many simple extractions.

Day by day

• Day of surgery: gauze with firm pressure until bleeding slows. Rest. No straw, no smoking, no rinsing.
• Days 1–2: soreness as the numbness wears off. Soft food on the other side. Start the prescribed rinse the next day if you were given one.
• Days 2–3: a dry socket, when it happens, often starts here as a deep ache, especially in a lower molar. See dry socket prevention.
• First week: stitches, if placed, often loosen. A firm edge under the gum can be the bony wall that held the tooth, not a leftover root.

The next weeks

The gum closes before the bone fills in. If the space will be restored, talk about the next step soon. Bone changes quickly. A socket graft is the way to limit that change when an implant is likely.

Call us if

• Bleeding will not slow with gauze or a tea bag
• Pain gets worse after day three, or feels like a deep ache in the socket
• Swelling or fever increases after the first few days
• The lip or tongue is still numb the morning after surgery
• You cannot keep fluids down

Read extraction aftercare. Download the extraction PDF. If a socket graft was placed, use bone graft aftercare and the graft PDF.

A simple extraction and a surgical extraction are not the same visit. A socket graft, sedation, and the number of teeth change the estimate. The replacement tooth, if you want one, is usually your dentist’s fee.

What changes the fee is the work itself: whether grafting is needed, which anesthesia is used, the type of restoration your dentist will make, and whether new imaging is required. Dr. Curtis gives an estimate at the consultation, after the exam. This website does not list prices.

The office takes most PPO dental plans. The current in-network list is on patient info. Call (561) 833-6880 if you want to ask about a plan before you come in.