Tooth Removal & Healing: What You Should Know

Sometimes a tooth removal is necessary — whether it’s due to a cracked tooth, deep decay, or a badly broken tooth. If a tooth can’t be saved with a filling, crown, or root canal, the best option may be extraction.

The broken tooth extraction procedure is usually simple and done with local numbing to keep you comfortable. If the tooth is already cracked or in pieces, we carefully remove the fragments. After the tooth is out, we’ll place gauze to help stop the bleeding and start the healing.

After that, your mouth goes through different tooth extraction healing stages. Right after the procedure, the area will bleed a little — this is normal. A blood clot will form in the socket to start the healing process. It’s very important not to disturb this clot. If it comes loose, you can develop a painful condition called a dry socket. This slows healing and may cause strong pain in your jaw or ear.

Over the next few days, swelling and soreness should slowly go down. Keep the area clean and avoid hard foods. We’ll give you clear instructions to follow, and if anything seems wrong — like swelling that gets worse, bad taste, or signs of infection — give us a call right away.

Extraction healing takes about 1 to 2 weeks for most people, depending on your body and the tooth’s location. It’s normal to feel tender during this time, but it should improve daily.

We’re here to make sure the removal and healing process goes as smoothly as possible, with real guidance you can trust.