How does a Dentist pull out teeth?

Your dentist will begin by anaesthetising the area around your tooth. Making the gum tissue that surrounds the tooth being removed numb.

Unfortunately, there is still no way to give you a “local” anesthetic other than via injection. So your dentist will inject the anesthetic into multiple close together points around your tooth.

Usually your dentist will use very fine injection needles which will reduce the pain. There will always been a sharp pricking sensation that may hurt but it doesn’t always cause pain. In fact some patients don’t have pain at all.

Your dentist will wait with you for a short period, for the numbing sensation to take effect. The numbness will make you feel tingly where the injections were inserted and for some people it feels like their mouth and lips a hugely swollen. They aren’t!

Next comes the part where your tooth gets pulled out.

How does a Dentist make a tooth loose enough to remove?

Below the surface into the gum and bone, your tooth has a root.

Like a carrot has fluffy green leaves above the soil and the orange root vegetable part is below ground in the soil. Your tooth has a hard white bit above the gum and a softer fleshy root below the gum.

Just like when you pull a carrot out of the ground by gently rocking it back and forth; to loosen the soil around it before you can easily pull it out of the soil. Your dentist will need to do the same with your tooth.

The root part of the tooth is firmly planted in bone (its socket), and tightly held in place. So the socket needs to be temporarily ever so slightly expanded so that the tooth can be separated before it is pulled out.

For you this will feel like a strong rocking pressure as your dentist wiggles your tooth (with a dental tool that might remind you of a set of pliers!).

Unlike when you were a child loosing your baby teeth. When you wiggled your teeth to help them fall out there may have been aching or pain. When your dentist is wiggling your tooth you will feel nothing, because your mouth is numb.

Your dentist will continue to rock the tooth until your tooth is loose and free to come out. Once it is loose your dentist will lift the tooth out.

What happens to my gum once the tooth is pulled out?

Next your dentist will clean up and close the tooth extraction site.

They will make sure to remove any tissue that could cause an infection. Followed by some “irrigation” of the socket. Basically they wash out the socket to ensure it is clean.

If your dentist is concerned about bleeding, they may place something in the socket to promote blood clotting.

Next they’ll use their finger and apply pressure to the socket. This is to re-compress the socket, making it smaller again.

Your dentist may give you an ice pack to put on your face to reduce swelling. Though it’s not needed for all patients.

Now that your tooth is removed, your dentist will take you through the post-procedure care instructions you’ll need to follow at home.

Some people feel a little unsteady or dizzy after getting a tooth pulled. That’s OK. You’ve just been through something out of the ordinary.

What do I do if I feel dizzy after my dental treatment?

Not only have you had a dental procedure that you were nervous about which made your heart race, but you’ve probably still got that anesthetic making your mouth feel weird.

So take your time, stay seated in the chair until you’re confident you can get up safely. Let the staff know you’re feeling unsteady. They fully expect that some patients require more time and attention after procedures than others. You and your safety are paramount. Let them help you and recognise that it is temporary and you’ll recover soon.