Surgical Extractions

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Surgical Extractions

For teeth that will not simply lift out — impacted, broken below the gum, or awkwardly rooted.

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Specialist Care

For the awkward cases.

Safe & Effective

Planned from the x-rays first.

Comfortable

Numbed, with sedation available.

Guided Recovery

Written aftercare, and a number to ring.

Need a surgical extraction?

The tricky ones are handled here rather than referred on.

Some teeth will not come out the easy way.

A tooth that is impacted, broken off below the gumline or sitting on curved roots cannot be lifted out with forceps. It has to be approached surgically, which sounds worse than it is — the difference is in the access, not in what you feel.

It is done under local anaesthetic, and we explain each stage as we go rather than working in silence.

What makes it surgical

A simple extraction loosens a tooth and lifts it out whole. A surgical one may need:

  • A small incision to lift the gum and see the tooth
  • A little of the surrounding bone removed to free it
  • The tooth divided into sections and taken out piece by piece

That last point is worth knowing: sectioning a tooth is usually gentler on the surrounding bone than forcing it out whole.

When it is needed

Typically where:

  • A wisdom tooth is impacted against bone or the tooth in front
  • The crown has broken away, leaving nothing to grip
  • The roots are long, curved or splayed around the nerve
  • A tooth has never fully erupted and is causing pain or crowding
  • Roots have been left behind by a previous attempt

We x-ray first, every time. Root shape decides the approach, and it is not something you can judge by looking.

How it is done

  1. Imaging — x-rays to map the roots and their relationship to the nerve.
  2. Numbing — fully, and checked before we begin. Sedation if you would prefer it.
  3. Access — a small, precise incision to lift the gum clear.
  4. Removal — in sections where that is kinder to the bone around it.
  5. Closing — dissolvable stitches if needed, then written aftercare before you leave.

Recovering afterwards

Most people find it more manageable than they expected:

  • Swelling peaks around day two and eases from there — that is normal, not a complication
  • Painkillers, and antibiotics if there was infection present
  • Soft food for a few days, nothing hard, crunchy or very hot
  • No smoking, no alcohol and no vigorous rinsing for the first 48 hours — this is what protects the clot
  • One to two weeks to be fully back to normal

You will go home with written instructions and a number to ring. If pain increases from day three rather than easing, call us — that is worth checking.

NHS or private?

On the NHS

Surgical extractions are available on the NHS where clinically necessary — an impacted wisdom tooth causing pain or infection, for instance — at the Band 2 rate.

Privately

If the prospect of this is what has kept you away, say so when you book. Sedation and longer appointments are available privately, and they make a genuine difference for anxious patients.

We will go through what is involved, what it costs and what the alternatives are before you decide.