Tooth Extraction
Tooth Extraction in Edison, NJ
When a tooth can't be saved, taking it out is the kindest thing left to do. Before that, we'll tell you honestly whether it can be saved.
- Simple extractions
- We try to save the tooth first
- Same-day visits for pain
- Open Saturdays 8 AM – 1 PM
Signs a tooth may be past saving
None of these means the tooth is definitely coming out. They mean it needs looking at soon, because the options get fewer the longer any of them goes on.
- A tooth broken off at or below the gumline
- Pain that keeps coming back to the same tooth, weeks apart
- A tooth that moves when you push it with your tongue, in an adult mouth
- A gum boil or a bad taste that returns to the same spot after antibiotics
- Decay so deep there's little tooth left above the gum to build on
- A tooth that has already had a root canal and started hurting again
What to do while you wait for the appointment
Rinse gently with warm water and floss carefully around the tooth in case something is trapped. A cold compress against the outside of your face helps with swelling. An over-the-counter pain reliever is fine if you can safely take one; follow the label.
Do not put aspirin directly against the tooth or gum. It burns the tissue, it doesn't reach the nerve, and it makes the appointment worse rather than better.
When this is an emergency, not an appointment
Swelling that's spreading across your face or down your neck, a fever alongside the pain, or any difficulty swallowing or breathing means an infection that's no longer staying put. That needs to be seen immediately, and out of hours it needs an emergency room rather than a waiting list. Call (732) 985-1120 or see emergency dental care.
Extraction is the last option, not the first
Almost every tooth that can be saved should be. A root canal and a crown will keep one working for years, and nothing that replaces a missing tooth works quite as well as the tooth did. So the first appointment is about whether removal is necessary at all, and sometimes it isn't.
When it's necessary, it's usually one of three things: decay past what a crown can hold, a break below the gumline where nothing can grip, or bone receded far enough that the tooth is already loose. A tooth in that state isn't neutral. It's a source of infection sitting in your jaw, and removing it is what stops that spreading to the teeth either side.
How a simple extraction goes
One visit, and most of it is the part before anything happens.
An X-ray and an honest answer
We look at the tooth and the bone around it and tell you whether it can be saved. If it can, we'll say what that involves and what it costs, and you can decide. If it can't, we'll say that too, and why.
Numbing, and waiting for it to work
The area is numbed thoroughly before anything starts. Numbing takes a few minutes to reach full effect and we wait for it, because an extraction begun early is the one people remember for years.
The extraction
A tooth is held in by a ligament rather than cemented into the bone, so removing it is a matter of widening the socket and easing the tooth out. What you feel is firm pressure and movement. What you shouldn't feel is pain. If you do, say so, because that's fixable on the spot.
Gauze, and a clot
You bite on gauze until the bleeding stops and a clot forms in the socket. That clot is the entire healing process in miniature, which is why the aftercare below is mostly about not disturbing it.
Does having a tooth out hurt?
The extraction itself shouldn't. The area is numb, and what reaches you is pressure and sound rather than pain, which can feel alarming precisely because it doesn't hurt.
Afterwards, expect soreness for a few days and swelling on the first two. Most people manage on over-the-counter pain relief and are back at work the next day, though not at the gym: anything that raises your blood pressure in the first 24 hours is asking the socket to bleed again.
The first two days decide the next two weeks
Everything here protects the clot in the socket. Lose it and you get dry socket: a deep, radiating ache that arrives around day three and needs an appointment to settle.
For the first 24 hours: no straws, no smoking, no spitting, no vigorous rinsing. All four pull the clot out. Eat soft food, chew on the other side, and prop your head up on an extra pillow the first night. After that, rinse gently with warm salt water a few times a day and brush the rest of your mouth as normal, staying off the socket.
Call us if bleeding hasn't settled after a few hours of firm gauze pressure, if pain is increasing rather than fading after day three, or if you run a fever.
Wisdom teeth, and what we refer out
We do simple extractions: teeth that have come through the gum and can be removed whole. A fully erupted wisdom tooth often qualifies, and we're happy to look.
What we don't do is surgical extraction: a tooth that's impacted, lying sideways, still under the bone, or that needs sectioning to come out. Those go to an oral surgeon, and you'll hear that at the first appointment rather than after we've started. Telling which is which is exactly what that first X-ray is for.
The gap doesn't have to stay a gap
Teeth either side of a space lean into it and the tooth above or below drifts down, so a gap left alone slowly changes the bite around it. A bridge or a denture can fill it, and the time to plan that's before the extraction rather than a year after, while the tooth is still there to match.
What an extraction costs
Most dental plans cover extractions, often at a higher share than they cover crowns or dentures, because removing a tooth is classed differently from rebuilding one. What you pay still depends on your plan, your deductible and what's left of your annual maximum.
We verify your benefits with your carrier before the appointment and quote the work before we start it. If a replacement is part of the plan, we'll quote that at the same time rather than leave you to discover it afterwards.
See the insurance we accept, or call (732) 985-1120 and we will verify your benefits before you come in.
Reviewed by
Dr. Michael Lesnianski, DDS
Doctor of Dental Surgery, New York University College of Dentistry, graduated with Clinical Honors; residency at Woodhull Medical Center, Brooklyn.
Last reviewed
“Dr. M's office is great! They really do a great job and they took care of me right away. I am no longer in pain. Thank you so much Stacy, Sharon and Dr. Mike!!”
Can the tooth be saved instead of pulled?
Often, and it's the first thing we check. A root canal with a crown afterwards will keep a badly damaged tooth working for years, and a natural tooth is worth more than anything that replaces it. What rules it out is usually how much tooth is left above the gum to build on, or how much bone is left around the root to hold it in. We'll show you the X-ray and tell you which case yours is.
Do you take out wisdom teeth?
A wisdom tooth that has fully come through the gum is often a simple extraction and we're glad to look at it. One that's impacted, sideways, still buried in bone, or that needs sectioning to remove is oral surgery, and we refer those to a surgeon rather than attempt them. The X-ray at your first visit tells us which you have, before anything is scheduled.
How long does it take to heal?
The gum closes over the socket in roughly one to two weeks, and most soreness is gone well before that. The bone underneath fills in slowly over a few months, which matters mainly if you're planning a denture or a bridge. That's part of why we like to plan the replacement before the tooth comes out.
Dental crowns →What's dry socket, and how do I avoid it?
Dry socket is what happens when the clot protecting the socket is dislodged before the gum has healed over it, leaving bone exposed. It arrives as a deep, radiating ache around day three, often reaching the ear or jaw. Avoiding it is almost entirely the first 24 hours: no straws, no smoking, no spitting, no vigorous rinsing. If it happens anyway, call us. It's treatable in one visit, and there's no reason to wait it out.
Can I go back to work afterwards?
Most people do, the next day, on over-the-counter pain relief. Skip the gym for a day or two, because anything that raises your blood pressure in the first 24 hours can restart the bleeding. If your job is physical, plan for a lighter day rather than a day off.
Where to go next
Root canal
The alternative, when the tooth can still be saved. Worth ruling in before ruling it out.
Dentures
Full and partial dentures, for when the gap is bigger than a single tooth. Best planned before the extraction.
Emergency dentist
Swelling, a fever, or pain that won't wait until next week. Same-day visits.
Where to find us
Edison Dental Studio is at 96 Plainfield Ave, Edison, NJ 08817. The practice has cared for families in Edison for more than 50 years. You can reach us at (732) 985-1120.
- Monday
- 9 AM – 5 PM
- Tuesday
- 9 AM – 5 PM
- Wednesday
- 9 AM – 5 PM
- Thursday
- Closed
- Friday
- 9 AM – 5 PM
- Saturday
- 8 AM – 1 PM
- Sunday
- Closed
Part of our restorative dentistry care.
Tooth extraction in Edison, NJ
Come in and let us look before you assume the worst. If the tooth can be saved we'll tell you how, and if it can't we'll take it out gently.