Tooth Extractions in Scarborough

It hinges on complexity. A tooth that is intact and accessible costs less to remove than one that is broken at the gumline or impacted, which requires a surgical approach. Most insurance plans contribute toward extractions, and CDCP frequently covers them for eligible patients. Once we have examined the tooth and its roots on an X-ray, you get a written quote before anything is scheduled.

During the procedure, it should not be painful at all — the area is numbed completely and we confirm the anaesthetic has taken hold before starting. Pressure and pushing sensations are normal and expected. Afterward, soreness and some swelling over the first few days are typical, and for most patients over-the-counter pain relief manages it comfortably while the site begins healing.

The first two or three days are the tender ones, and most people feel dramatically better after that, though the socket itself continues closing over the following weeks. Your job in that window is protecting the blood clot: skip straws, smoking, and forceful rinsing, eat gently, and follow the instruction sheet we send home with you. Do that, and healing is usually uneventful.

Dry socket occurs when the protective blood clot is dislodged before the site has healed underneath, exposing bare bone — and it is genuinely unpleasant. The main culprits are suction and disturbance: drinking through straws, smoking, spitting forcefully, or aggressive rinsing in the first several days. Avoid those, chew on the other side, and the clot almost always stays put. If pain starts climbing after day two or three instead of easing, call us.

Not always, but the question deserves genuine thought rather than a shrug. An unfilled gap lets neighbouring teeth tilt and drift, can allow the opposing tooth to over-erupt, and the bone in the socket gradually recedes without a root to stimulate it. For visible teeth and workhorse molars, replacement usually pays off. We will go through the options — implant, bridge, denture, or watchful waiting — once your gum has healed.

It depends entirely on your future plans. Socket preservation is a small graft placed in the fresh socket to slow the natural bone shrinkage that follows extraction — valuable if a dental implant is in your future, since implants need adequate bone to anchor into. If you are certain you will not want an implant there, it is often unnecessary. We advise case by case, and only recommend it when it genuinely serves your plan.

For the first day or two, think soft and lukewarm: yogurt, eggs, soup that is not hot, smoothies eaten with a spoon rather than a straw. Chew on the side away from the extraction, and steer clear of crunchy, spicy, or very hot foods that could disturb the site. Most people work back to their normal diet within about a week as tenderness fades.

Call us and describe what is happening — swelling, a broken tooth, throbbing that keeps you up. We hold room in the schedule for urgent problems and offer same-day emergency visits when the schedule allows, so pain is assessed quickly rather than left to fester. Depending on what we find, we may extract the tooth at that visit or first settle an active infection so the procedure is safer and more comfortable.

Frequently, yes. A wisdom tooth that has erupted upright can come out much like any other tooth, but one that is impacted — angled into its neighbour or still buried in bone — requires a surgical approach and a longer recovery. Imaging tells us which situation you have before anything is decided. For the deepest or most complex impactions, we refer to an oral surgeon and coordinate your care throughout.