How Much Does Tooth Extraction Cost?

The expression "tooth extraction" often generates fear in many people. This happens because they believe that the surgery is a complex procedure that causes pain and requires many days of recovery. But fortunately, complex cases are the least common to see in dental offices.

Exodontia is the surgical act that corresponds to a tooth extraction, that is, removing, extracting, "taking out", or "pulling" a tooth. Tooth extraction is a minor surgery or operation, referred to as one of the oldest dental procedures on record.

Tooth extraction is a relatively frequent occurrence in adults due to various dental problems. In children, the extraction of deciduous teeth, also known as baby teeth or temporary teeth, may also be necessary under certain circumstances.

Extraction can be performed on any of the teeth (incisor, canine, premolar, or molar). Due to some eruption problems, the wisdom tooth or third molar (upper or lower) is one of the teeth often indicated for extraction.

Most of the time, the extraction involves only a single tooth, but in many cases, two or more teeth can be extracted in the same surgical appointment without any contraindication (multiple exodontia).

When should a tooth be extracted?

Several reasons may necessitate the extraction of a tooth, with tooth decay being the most frequent, when it is no longer viable or worthwhile to restore the decayed tooth (popularly called a "rotten tooth").

Other reasons that may lead to tooth extraction include:

A fractured tooth (“broken or cracked”), either in the crown or in the root. Sometimes a complete fracture of the crown occurs, implying the extraction of the residual root or the extraction of the root remnant.
Tooth with pulp necrosis, if endodontic or root canal treatment is not successful or is not considered.
Teeth that have been unsuccessfully devitalized and for which endodontic retreatment is not considered.
Teeth with very pronounced mobility ("loose teeth"), usually a consequence of advanced periodontitis.
Impacted or partially impacted wisdom teeth (or other impacted teeth) that are causing symptoms or to prevent potential related problems.

However, extraction is not only considered when teeth present a specific problem. Sometimes, even when teeth are healthy, planned extraction of certain teeth may be considered, as happens, for example, in certain orthodontic treatments, namely to allow for dental alignment in cases where there is a lack of space.

Tooth extraction - step by step

Tooth extraction, like any other surgical procedure, follows a specific protocol, which can be broadly described as follows:
Prior planning, which may include taking an x-ray to assess the position and shape of the root(s) and adjacent structures (prescription of medication prior to extraction may also be considered);
To promote the aseptic conditions inherent to the surgery in question;
Application of anesthesia, usually local infiltration;
Gum detachment;
Tooth luxation (promote its mobility with the help of levers designed for this purpose);
The actual extraction with the aid of forceps, if the tooth cannot be removed using only leverage;
To promote hemostasis to facilitate immediate coagulation and prevent bleeding ("to avoid bleeding or to stop bleeding after extraction");
Suturing the dental socket (“stitching”), unless unnecessary;
Explanation of post-operative procedures to the patient.

Typically, the extraction of a single-rooted tooth (a tooth with only one root) tends to be easier and heal faster compared to the extraction of a multi-rooted tooth (a tooth with more than one root), but this particularity alone does not determine the healing time, as it depends on many other factors.