Tooth extraction
Removing a tooth when it cannot be saved, with the alternatives set out first and the gap planned for.
- NHS and private
- Same-day emergencies
- Published fees
- One team, three practices
We would rather not, and we will say so
Removing a tooth is the last option, not the quick one. A tooth you keep holds its neighbours in place, keeps your bite even and preserves the bone around it. Once it is gone, all three start to change.
Read more: We would rather not, and we will say so
So before we take anything out we tell you what else is possible. Deep decay may be treatable with root canal treatment and a crown. A cracked tooth is sometimes saveable. If a tooth genuinely cannot be kept, we will say that plainly too, because struggling on with a hopeless tooth helps nobody.
Simple and surgical
A simple extraction removes a tooth that is fully through the gum and can be lifted out whole. The area is numbed, the tooth is loosened and eased out, and most of the appointment is the numbing rather than the removal.
Read more: Simple and surgical
A surgical extraction is needed when a tooth is broken at the gum line, heavily curved at the root, or not fully erupted. It involves a small incision and sometimes dividing the tooth to remove it cleanly. It takes longer and is quoted on request in Harlow.
Healing well afterwards
A blood clot forms in the socket and does the healing. Protecting it for the first twenty-four hours is the whole job: no rinsing, no smoking, no straws, and nothing hot.
Read more: Healing well afterwards
From the next day, gentle warm salt water rinses help keep the area clean. Some soreness and swelling for a few days is normal. Pain that gets worse around day three rather than better is worth a phone call, not a wait.
Planning the gap
The best time to think about replacing a tooth is before it comes out, not months later. Depending on where it sits you may need nothing at all, or a bridge, a denture or an implant.
Read more: Planning the gap
Implant surgery is carried out at our Nuffield practice on The Stow. If an implant is likely to be your route, tell us before the extraction, because it can affect how we remove the tooth.
When removal is genuinely the right call
There are cases where saving a tooth is not realistic: decay running below the gum with nothing solid left to build on, a vertical fracture through the root, advanced gum disease that has lost the supporting bone, or an infection that root canal treatment has not resolved.
Read more: When removal is genuinely the right call
There are also cases where it is not. Deep decay is often treatable, a cracked cusp can sometimes be crowned, and a wobbly tooth is not automatically a lost one. We tell you which situation you are in and what each route costs before you decide.
Standard and surgical
A standard extraction from £80 removes a tooth that is fully erupted and gripped with forceps. Most of the appointment is waiting for the anaesthetic; the removal itself is usually quick.
Read more: Standard and surgical
A surgical extraction from £150 is needed when a tooth has broken at the gum line, has hooked or divergent roots, or has not fully come through. It involves lifting a small flap of gum and often sectioning the tooth to bring it out cleanly. Where a case is beyond what we should do here, we refer rather than attempt it.
The first day matters most
A clot forms in the socket and is what the healing is built on. For the first twenty-four hours, do not rinse, do not smoke, do not use a straw, and do not drink alcohol. Bite firmly on the gauze for as long as you were told to.
Read more: The first day matters most
Keep to soft, cool food and chew on the other side. From the second day, rinse gently with warm salt water after meals. Take painkillers before the anaesthetic wears off rather than waiting for pain to start, and avoid aspirin because it thins the blood.
- Ring us if bleeding has not stopped after biting on fresh gauze for 30 minutes.
- Ring us if pain increases sharply around day three, which can mean a dry socket.
- Ring us if you develop swelling with a fever or difficulty swallowing.
What replaces it
Deciding this before the extraction is easier than deciding after, because the timing of a denture or bridge is planned around the healing. At this practice the options are a denture from £550 or a bridge from £550 per unit.
Read more: What replaces it
If you are considering an implant, tell us early. We do not place implants at Enfield Smiles and would refer you to our Nuffield practice in Harlow, and that conversation is better had before the tooth comes out.
Extraction fees at Nuffield Dental Practice and Church Langley Dental.
| Treatment | NHS | Private |
|---|---|---|
| Standard extraction | Band 2, £76.60 | £195 |
| Surgical extraction | Band 2, £76.60 | On request |
| Urgent appointment for pain | Urgent, £27.90 | On request |
Surgical extractions are quoted after assessment, because the fee depends on the position and condition of the tooth.
Extraction fees at Enfield Smiles, with what typically follows.
| Treatment | NHS | Private |
|---|---|---|
| Standard extraction | Band 2, £76.60 | from £80 |
| Surgical extraction | Band 2, £76.60 | from £150 |
| Denture afterwards | Band 3, £332.10 | from £550 |
| Bridge afterwards, per unit | Band 3, £332.10 | from £550 |
The fee depends on the position and condition of the tooth and is confirmed at your assessment. Complex cases may be referred rather than treated here.
Practices Offering Tooth extraction
Nuffield Dental Practice
110–111 The StowHarlowEssex CM20 3AS01279 424 038Church Langley Dental
First Floor, Florence Nightingale Health CentreHarlowEssex CM17 9TE01279 306 690Enfield Smiles
195 High StreetEnfield EN3 4DZ020 8804 4320