Keep or remove
We go over your history, check the tooth, gums, bite and jaw, and take X-rays if they’re needed. You’ll hear why removal is on the table before any plan is made.
Tooth extractions in Mindarie
Tooth Extractions in Mindarie
Being told a tooth might have to come out isn’t the same as deciding it should. Before anything is booked, we check whether a filling, a crown or root canal treatment could still save it. If it can’t, you’ll know how it comes out, how long recovery takes and what your options are for the gap.
First, can it stay?
Why we ask how the tooth got this way
The reason shapes everything after it. We’ll want to know what happened to the tooth, how much healthy tooth is left, and whether infection or gum disease has reached the bone around it.
If it’s getting worse fast
Strong pain, swelling or a knock means ringing us for a same-day assessment, not waiting for a routine slot.
The gap comes later
We offer bridges, dentures, implants and implant crowns, but you don’t need to pick one before the tooth is out. Some gaps never need filling.
The story so far
Why might it need to come out?
How the tooth got here tells us what to check first. When you book, mention pain, swelling, a break, looseness or a repair that’s failed.
A break can leave the inner tooth exposed and make chewing hard. We check how much sound tooth is left before saying whether it’s a filling, a crown, root canal treatment or removal.
Saving it
Is there another way to fix it?
Sometimes the tooth can be repaired, treated inside the root or simply watched. Other times deep decay, infection or too little tooth left makes removal the realistic choice. The examination tells us which.
If the damage is limited and enough healthy tooth is left, a filling or crown often does the job. We check the edges, what’s left of the tooth and your bite first.
The appointment
From first look to a decision
We start with what’s happened and your dental history, then examine the tooth, with X-rays if needed. You’ll know what the findings mean before you decide, and if the tooth does come out, the area is numbed with local anaesthetic first. If you’re anxious, or several teeth are coming out, ask whether sedation would suit you. If it’s used, someone will need to drive you home.
What’s happened so far
Mention pain, swelling, a knock, earlier fillings or root canal treatment, antibiotics, and any change in how the tooth feels.
A careful look
Your dentist checks the tooth, gums, jaw, bite and soft tissues, including the teeth either side and any swelling or tenderness.
What’s under the gum
A digital X-ray shows the roots, the bone around them and anything hiding under a filling. We’ll show you the picture.
Options, then the estimate
If the tooth can be kept, you’ll hear how. If removal is the plan, you’ll hear how it’s done, the recovery, the risks and the fee, and whether replacing it means a separate visit.
The first few days
What recovery is really like
Bite on the gauze as shown, rest, and hold a cold pack against your cheek on and off for the first 24 hours. Go easy on rinsing, spitting and straws, because they can dislodge the clot that protects the socket.
Expect it to be sore at first. Pain and swelling usually ease after 2–3 days. Stick to soft food, keep up the cleaning instructions you were given, and ring us if things get worse instead of better.
Most people need a day or two off after a simple extraction, and 2–5 days after a surgical one. The gum is mostly healed in about two weeks, though the bone underneath keeps healing for months.
Smoking slows healing, so give it a miss while the socket heals. If you’re thinking about replacing the tooth, ask when that conversation should start.
Extraction risks, before you decide
Taking a tooth out is an invasive procedure. The risks include pain, swelling, bleeding, infection and dry socket, where the clot is lost and the socket aches more after a few days instead of less. Occasionally nearby teeth, fillings or nerves are affected, which can leave altered feeling in the lip, chin or tongue. Which risks matter depends on the tooth, its roots and how it’s removed. Your dentist will go through them, and the alternatives, before you decide. Any surgical or invasive procedure carries risks. Before proceeding, you should seek a second opinion from an appropriately qualified health practitioner. Results, risks, complications and recovery times vary between individuals.
Costs
What will it cost to have it out?
We can give you a rough idea when you book. Your dentist confirms the estimate after examining the tooth, because why it’s coming out and how hard it is to remove both change what’s involved.
Book an AppointmentA check before anything’s booked
Come in if you’ve been told a tooth might need to come out, or if pain, swelling or a break has changed things. Booking a check doesn’t commit you to an extraction. Ask what the examination and any X-rays will cost.
Your health fund
We accept private health fund claims, and we’re a Bupa Members First, HCF and nib First Choice preferred provider. Your rebate and any gap depend on your policy.
Paying for what comes next
If you’re replacing the tooth later, Zip Pay, Zip Money, an in-house payment plan, Pretty Penny Finance and Fund My Dental can spread the cost, each with its own approval, fees and terms. Super can only be released early for eligible essential dental treatment. Read our payment options before you decide.
Online, by email or on the phone
Book online, email enquiries@anchoragedental.com.au or call (08) 9407 7888. We’re in from 8am six days a week: until 6pm Monday to Thursday, 5pm on Friday and 1pm on Saturday.
Next questions
If you’re still weighing it up
Where to next depends on whether the tooth might stay, whether it’s urgent, or whether you’re already thinking about the gap.
Ask us anything
Before a tooth comes out: your questions
The questions people ask us most before an extraction, and what to watch for in the days after.
When it’s badly decayed, broken, infected or loosened by gum disease, and can’t reasonably be rebuilt. Even then, we examine it first, because a tooth that looks past saving sometimes isn’t. Ask your dentist to show you on the X-ray what’s left of the tooth and why removal is being suggested.
Often, if enough healthy tooth and supporting bone are left. A filling, a crown, root canal treatment or simply watching it are all possibilities. Some teeth can’t be rebuilt reliably because of deep decay, a crack, infection or lost bone. Book a check so the decision comes from your tooth, not a general rule.
Wisdom-tooth removal is one kind of extraction, but wisdom teeth sit right at the back and are often angled or partly under the gum. Other teeth usually come out because of decay, a break, infection or gum disease. We’ll check yours and explain what’s involved and where it should be done.
Usually. We need to see the roots, the bone around them and anything hidden under the gum or a filling, because that shapes how the tooth comes out. Ours are digital, and we’ll tell you whether the picture changes the plan.
Pain, swelling, bleeding, infection, dry socket and damage to nearby teeth are the main ones, and altered feeling in the lip or tongue can matter for some lower teeth. Which apply depends on your tooth, and your dentist will go through them, and the signs that mean you should ring, before you decide.
Protect the clot, eat soft food, keep the area clean the way you’re shown, rest, and take pain relief as advised. Most people need a day or two off work after a simple extraction. Ring us if bleeding won’t settle, pain or swelling gets worse, or you develop a fever, discharge or a bad taste that won’t go.
Most of the soreness and swelling eases after 2–3 days, and the gum is mostly healed in about two weeks. Allow a day or two off for a simple extraction, or 2–5 days for a surgical one. The bone underneath carries on healing for months. Ask when you can get back to sport and your normal brushing.
No. Replacing a tooth doesn’t have to happen straight away, and some gaps never need filling. The right choice comes down to where the tooth was, your bite, your gums, what you’d like and the timing that works for you. We offer bridges, dentures, implants and implant crowns. Ask what needs deciding now and what can be left for a later visit.
Yes, when the infected tooth can’t be kept. Otherwise, draining the abscess or root canal treatment can sometimes save it; that comes down to where the infection started and how bad it is. Antibiotics on their own don’t remove the cause inside the tooth. If you think you have an abscess, get dental or medical advice the same day.
Not as a matter of course. Your dentist decides based on any infection, your health and the procedure, and tells you if a medicine is needed. Take only what’s been prescribed or recommended for you, and ring us if you get a fever, worsening swelling or discharge.
Gum disease can weaken the gum and bone holding a tooth, but a knock or bite pressure can loosen one too. We check the gums, the bone and the teeth around it before deciding whether removal is needed. If bleeding or receding gums are part of the picture, read our gum disease treatment page.
The area is numbed with local anaesthetic first, so you’ll feel pressure and movement rather than sharp pain. The socket is usually tender for a few days afterwards, easing after 2–3 days. If you’re nervous, or a past visit went badly, mention it. Ask whether sedation would suit you; if it’s used, you’ll need someone to drive you home.
Ring us if bleeding won’t settle with firm pressure on gauze, pain or swelling is getting worse after day 3, or you develop a fever, discharge or a bad taste that won’t shift. Trouble breathing, speaking or swallowing, major swelling of the face or neck, or bleeding you can’t control needs emergency medical care straight away. Don’t wait to see if it settles.
It depends on your policy, waiting periods, annual limits and the item number. Your private health fund can be claimed here: we’re a Bupa Members First, HCF and nib First Choice preferred provider, and we accept HBF. Get the item number and likely fee from us, and your fund can tell you the rebate and any gap before treatment.
A list of your medicines and health conditions, and any recent X-rays or dental records. Mention pregnancy, allergies, blood thinners or medicines that affect bone, as well as earlier dental treatment and what’s worrying you most. If you’re new to us, come a little early to fill in the forms.
