How Painful is a Simple Extraction?

Oral health—a comprehensive focus on the health of our teeth and gums, mouth, and other orofacial structures—is a part of our general health. We need good oral health so we can perform basic functions such as eating, talking, and breathing. We often take such things for granted, but they are essential for everyday life.

Before advising that you have a tooth extracted, your dentist will always exhaust all possible options, including treating cavities to the extent possible, placing a crown, or recommending a root canal. But sometimes, when all other approaches have been tried and have not been successful in keeping a tooth healthy and pain-free, you may need to have a tooth pulled.

In the days following extraction, you should expect some discomfort, aching, and swelling as your surgery site heals. Your level of pain will depend on your own tolerance and whether the extraction was the simple method or a surgical procedure, such as removing impacted wisdom teeth.

Simple and Surgical Dental Extraction

Simple extraction involves the removal of teeth that are visible in your mouth. Your dentist will administer a local anesthetic to numb the affected area around your tooth and to reduce pain caused by the procedure. You will feel a slight pinch or sting when the local anesthetic is injected. Once the area is numb, you should not feel pain, but you will feel pressure, pushing, and tugging as the dentist works to loosen the tooth using a tool called an elevator and then remove the tooth using forceps.

Surgical extraction involves the removal of teeth that are not easily accessible in your mouth, which is often the case when a tooth has not yet erupted through your gums or has fractured below your gum line. Your dentist will make an incision into the soft connective tissue surrounding your tooth to obtain access for extraction. In some cases, your dentist may need to remove some of the nearby jawbone during the procedure or fragment your tooth into separate pieces for removal.

Pain associated with surgical dental extractions and the fact that it is a more complex procedure requires that your dentist or oral surgeon use a general anesthetic, meaning you will be temporarily unconscious during the surgery.

What to Expect After Surgery

Follow all pre- and post-operative instructions your dentist provides so you have a safe procedure and comfortable recovery.

The first one to three days after your procedure is when you will have the most discomfort, aching, swelling, and pain. Typically, you will experience a dull, slightly throbbing pain in your jaw around the extraction site. Using ice packs for 10 to 15 minutes at a time and taking over-the-counter pain relievers or prescribed pain medication should make you more comfortable. Your pain should subside in four to five days, though you may still have sensitivity.

The most painful complication from tooth extraction is typically a “dry socket” (osteitis), which occurs when the protective blood clot at the surgical site is prematurely displaced, exposing the underlying bone in your jaw. To help you avoid dry socket, your dentist will instruct that you do not drink through a straw and to avoid vigorous spitting or rinsing for the first few days.

Related Article: How Long Does Simple Extraction Take to Heal?