Do tooth extractions hurt?
You first have a local anasaetic administered by injection to the nerves around the tooth. After a few minutes the dentist prods the surrounding tissue with a sharp instrument to make sure that the area is properly numbed. Then the tooth is loosened with a few different dental tools and brute force. Once the tooth is properly loosened, pliers are applied and the extraction takes place. Generally stitches aren’t required, you just bite down on a piece of gauze for 10 minutes or so to stem the bleeding. 24 hours after, you rinse the wound with warm salty water. This helps clean the area and remove dried blood. This is followed by daily rinses. The socket heals surprisingly quick. 1 to 2 weeks. There shouldn’t be any pain during extraction and if there is just raise your hand to indicate to the dentist that you want him/her to stop. More anaesetic can then be administered. Extractions aren’t nice and are uncomfortable but not painful.
