How painful is a tooth extraction?

One thing that scares everyone about dental treatments is tooth extraction. Before thinking about the positive outcome of a tooth pull, we all seem to highlight its unpleasant part, such as the associated pain. But tooth extraction is not only about pain and discomfort. 

Before starting the tooth-pulling process, your dentist will ensure that you are ready for treatment and will prescribe you over-the-counter medicines to combat the pain. But still, it can be confusing to wrap your head around getting your tooth pulled out! 

Therefore, in this article, we will discuss everything about tooth extraction and how much it can hurt. But before jumping into the article, it is also vital to understand that the pain level during the dental pulling process is different for different patients and depends on their pain tolerating power.

What is the procedure for tooth extraction?

It is essential to know what you can expect during a extraction treatment and how your dentist will perform it:

• Simple extraction: One of the ways your dentist will extract the tooth is by using a simple pulling-out method. In this method, the dentist will use a tool called an elevator to losen the tooth and then will pull it from the gum.
• Surgical extraction: Another method is surgical pulling out. In this method, an incision is made into the gum to remove the bone blocking the tooth’s root to remove the teeth. Once the tooth is removed, your dentist will stitch the wounded area.

Pain-combating ways during the extraction process

Below given are a few ways in which your dentist will combat the pain during the tooth-pulling process, and to do that, your oral care provider will use two or more types of anesthesia: 

• Through local anesthesia: With the help of local anesthetics, your oral care provider or dentist will apply the numbing substance around the gum and teeth which is being extracted. Local anesthesia will not numb all the pain or sensations but will help reduce them significantly.

• Through sedation anesthesia: With the help of sedation anesthesia, you will feel more relaxed and less aware of your surroundings. Your dentist will give you the sedation anesthesia in the form of a tablet or pill before the process starts.
• General anesthesia: With the help of general anesthesia, you will be fully asleep during the extraction process, and you will not feel any pain. General anesthesia is offered through the nose or arm. 

How painful is the extraction? And how can you handle the pain after teeth removal?

To tell how much a tooth can hurt is not easy. Firstly, it depends on the anesthesia your dentist will give you, and secondly, it depends on how many of your teeth are extracted. And lastly, it also depends on how you handle the pain. In all scenarios, you will still feel discomfort and pain, which is obvious. 

Once the tooth is pulled out, you can follow these tips to manage the pain: 

• Use an ice pack
• Do not eat hard and chewy food
• Eat cold soft foods
• Do not sleep on the side where the tooth is extracted from
• Use a hot water bottle or pack
• Take over-the-counter medicines (after consulting your dentist)

Lastly, the tooth extraction process is not something that you should be scared about. Talking to your dentist and taking some precautionary methods after the procedure will help you manage the pain in a better way.