How Painful is a Simple Extraction?

Simple dental extractions are routine procedures that can help prevent the spread of infection and reduce or eliminate often-excruciating pain. Despite being common and beneficial, many patients still associated pain, anxiety, or fear with dental procedures, including simple extractions. Understanding the ins and outs of the simple dental extraction procedure, including options for pain mitigation, can help alleviate the anxiety that often comes with such procedures. Simple extraction is the preferred method for removing damaged or infected teeth and is used whenever a sufficient amount of the tooth is visible and accessible above the gumline. If the tooth is not accessible, surgical extraction will be needed. Simple extraction is, as a rule, less painful than surgical extraction, though the levels of pain will obviously depend on each patient’s pain threshold. In many cases, a simple extraction could prevent the need for a surgical extraction down the road, so addressing a damaged tooth promptly will mean less pain, and less complication, in the long run.

What Does a Simple Extraction Feel Like?

A simple extraction is performed on a fully erupted, wholly visible tooth. Dentists use local anesthesia for a simple extraction, numbing the area around the tooth before elevating the tooth and carefully prying it out with dental tools. If at any point during a simple extraction you feel pain, let your dentist know; they can administer more anesthesia to ensure that the area remains fully painless throughout. The first needle prick of an anesthesia injection will sting a bit, but this subsides quickly as the anesthetic sets in. Patients report feeling pressure while the tooth is manipulated, and some report discomfort, but the extraction procedure usually only takes a few minutes and is over before you know it.

How Long Does it Take to Recover from a Simple Extraction?

It usually takes a couple of hours for anesthesia to wear off after a dental procedure, and, as this occurs, there may be some discomfort at the extraction site. This discomfort can often be managed with over-the-counter pain remedies. In most cases, patients experience some level of swelling and soreness for up to a week after a simple extraction. Swelling can be managed with ice, applied intermittently to the outside of the face near the area of extraction. Your dentist will provide careful aftercare instructions that will help you manage symptoms as you heal, and adhering to these instructions diligently can help you reduce your risk of complications. To prevent the painful condition known as dry socket, which arises when the healing blood clot is dislodged from the extraction site, avoid smoking, using a straw, or rinsing your mouth too vigorously until the site has fully healed. Rinsing the mouth gently with warm salt water can help the soft tissues heal more efficiently, and keeping the entire oral cavity clean is vital to healing. Many patients prefer a diet of soft foods for a few days after an extraction, resuming a normal diet as discomfort subsides. While the thought of a simple extraction might seem daunting, the benefits of removing a damaged tooth far outweigh a few days of discomfort, and you and your dentist can work together to make sure your extraction is painless and complication-free.

What is a Simple Extraction