What to Expect During and After Your Molar Extraction

No one wants to have a molar pulled, but sometimes, it’s the best choice for relieving pain or preventing more serious problems, like infection or overcrowding. Knowing what to expect during and after an extraction can go a long way toward reducing the anxiety you might be feeling about having your tooth pulled.

Richard Blackburn, DMD, MA, is experienced in tooth extraction, including advanced oral surgery techniques focused on managing more complex extractions in patients at Volterra Dental. Learn the basics about tooth extractions and what you can expect during and after your visit.

Molar extraction: What to expect

Molar extraction is typically recommended when a tooth is too severely damaged to be saved with a root canal, filling, or crown. It’s also a good choice for correcting or preventing impaction and for teeth badly damaged by advanced gum disease.

Regardless of the reason for your extraction, the steps for pulling a molar are typically the same. 

The consultation

At your initial visit, we take X-rays to assess your tooth and the structures surrounding it. This step allows us to map out your treatment and determine which approach will be most appropriate.

We’ll discuss the extraction process with you during this visit and review sedation options. In addition to local anesthetic, our team offers several types of sedation to help you stay relaxed, calm, and comfortable.

The extraction visit

On the day of your extraction, we provide sedation as requested before thoroughly numbing the area surrounding the tooth. Once the area is completely numb, we use special instruments to loosen the tooth and gently remove it. 

While most of us think of “pulling” a tooth, extractions typically use elevators designed to lift or “elevate” the tooth from its socket. Before the tooth can be lifted, we gently loosen it, easing removal and minimizing trauma to surrounding gum and bone tissue.

Sometimes, we may make small incisions in the gum or the bone tissue surrounding the tooth root to make removing the tooth from its socket easier. Once the tooth is loosened and accessible, we lift it from its socket, either in one piece or several pieces, depending on the condition of your tooth and other factors.

Finally, after removing the tooth, we close any sutures we’ve made using dissolvable suture material. Gauze helps control bleeding and protect the area immediately after your procedure.

After extraction

Before you leave our office, we provide complete care instructions to help you manage discomfort and keep the area clean while it heals. You can manage pain with over-the-counter medicine, or we may provide you with a prescription to help manage pain for the first couple of days.

Bleeding and swelling

Bleeding following an extraction is common. After your procedure, we’ll place gause in the extraction site. Gently biting down on the gauze helps stop bleeding, typically within a few hours.

You can also expect some swelling around the extraction site. Keeping your head elevated while you rest or sleep helps minimize swelling, and you can also apply an ice pack to the outside of your cheek for 20-minute intervals.

Eating

For a few days after your extraction, you should stick to soft foods, like yogurt, smoothies, mashed potatoes, and cream soups, to avoid irritating the area. Avoid hot foods, choosing cool or lukewarm foods instead.

As your extraction site heals, a clot will form to help protect the socket. To prevent dislodging the clot, you should avoid using straws. 

Oral hygiene

Our team provides complete instructions for cleaning around the extraction site. While you should still brush your teeth like normally, you’ll need to take extra care around the extraction site, avoiding the area for the first couple of days. It’s generally OK to gently rinse with salt water to reduce swelling, but be sure to rinse gently to prevent dislodging the clot in the tooth socket.

Recovering from your extraction

Full recovery time can vary depending on the type of extraction you’ve had. While a simple extraction may heal within a couple of weeks, a more complex extraction can take a month or so. During that time, you’ll want to avoid hard or crunchy foods and keep all your follow-up visits with Dr. Blackburn.

If you’re having tooth pain, don’t ignore it. Request an appointment online or over the phone with Dr. Blackburn and the team at Volterra Dental in Los Alamitos, California, today.