Having a tooth extracted is something many adults eventually face if they were not able to take care of their teeth properly at any age, or if it’s a wisdom tooth that needs to be removed due to its pain during eruption, or due to other deficiencies like vitamin D and iron in the body that cause weak gums and teeth. When I found out that one of my teeth was severely damaged and decayed due to my wisdom teeth eruption and would need to be removed, I had mixed feelings about the whole procedure, as I was new to this part of science and had never seen or gone to a dentist for any treatment. This was my first experience with a toothache and my first visit to a dentist at the age of 28. Part of me knew that extraction was probably the best option and the only option to keep my other teeth healthy and strong, but another part of me was nervous about the procedure, the pain, and what recovery would be like. But my mother was a regular patient in the dentist’s clinic because of her infected teeth, so I had a little idea of what would happen in the dentist’s room on that big dentist chair. Like any other office chair, dining chair, outdoor chair, or patient chair in the doctor’s room, the dentist chair for the patient is completely different. You may have seen it in movies and online stuff, but sitting on it and experiencing it on your own has a very different feeling.
Looking back, the experience taught me that tooth extraction is not something to be unnecessarily afraid of—but it is something you should take seriously, and of course it’s also going to hurt a little, just like any other body part getting infected or cut or wounded. So be prepared for the pain, treatment, care, money, and time that is going to happen when you visit your dentist for a toothache. In this article, I will explain to you all about toothache, wisdom tooth, extraction, treatment, and how to take care of your teeth properly based on my personal experience. I have also written a full article on wisdom tooth pain relief and treatment. Please check this out to know more about wisdom tooth eruption, the pain it can cause, and the treatment.
Why Do Adults Need Tooth Extraction?
Adults may need a tooth removed for several reasons. A dentist may recommend extraction when a tooth is too damaged to repair, has severe decay, is causing an infection, or is creating problems for the surrounding teeth. In my case, the problem was severe tooth decay and damage to other teeth around it. The tooth had deteriorated to the point where saving it was no longer a realistic option. This all happened 2 years ago when I was 25 years old, my second daughter was only 2 months old, and I started feeling severe pain near my last tooth. The pain was so severe that even a paracetamol tablet did not help me at all. I was not able to control the pain, so I went to a general physician just to check what was going on in my mouth. When I told her I had severe pain near my last tooth, she checked with a torch and saw a wisdom tooth erupting slowly. She told me it’s normal at this age and gave me paracetamol tablets for pain. That pain was there for 2 days, and after that I was completely normal. After 2 months, the pain started again. Now I understand that this pain will come and go till the wisdom tooth fully erupts. I don’t know how other people experience this wisdom tooth pain, but for me it was like hell. I used to cry a lot sitting in my room due to the pain. I used to put an ice pack on my cheek and sit there for half an hour in pain. My mom used to tell me to put a clove on the tooth for pain relief, and not chew or swallow it. This also didn’t work for me. I took paracetamol tablets 4 times, but those tablets did not work at all for my pain, so I went to a dentist. The dentist took an X-ray of my teeth and said that my wisdom tooth was erupting in the wrong direction. That wisdom tooth is pushing the tooth beside it to come out. That is causing pain, and the tooth beside the wisdom tooth has become weak and is moving to fall out. So they suggested getting the wisdom tooth removed and also the tooth beside it, as it is already moving and very weak. They asked me if I was breastfeeding my 3-month-old daughter. When I said yes, they told me it would be difficult for me, as I cannot take antibiotics and strong, powerful tablets after the tooth extraction because I am breastfeeding my daughter, and this can result in facial swelling, severe pain, and slow treatment.
After listening to all this, I got scared and came back home. I thought, let’s just keep the wisdom tooth like that only. I would get some pain every 3 to 4 month fr 2 days, and then I would be alright once the wisdom tooth fully erupted. I thought this was safe and easy instead of getting a tooth extraction done while I was breastfeeding my baby. But this decision was completely wrong, as my other teeth got infected because of it. Normally, a wisdom tooth takes 6 months to fully erupt, but I had severe pain coming and going for more than 2 years, and this was not at all normal. I used to check my teeth in the mirror but was not able to see anything clearly, and here in Abu Dhabi we don’t have insurance for a dentist, so I was not able to go for a checkup either. Slowly, my teeth became very sensitive. I was not able to eat cold items, and even drinking cold water caused some type of numbness in my teeth. And once, when I was eating food, a small part of my tooth came out. When I checked in the mirror, it was the tooth beside the wisdom tooth. It had already broken into pieces, and those pieces were falling off. Now I stopped chewing food on that side, as the teeth there are weak. I waited for 2 years to go to India and get my teeth checked. When I went to India, getting my teeth checked was my first priority. I went to a dentist along with my parents in the same clinic where my mother gets her treatment. The doctor took an X-ray and told me that my wisdom tooth is very good, but the tooth beside it is all broken, infected, and only 2 pieces are left from the inside. The infection was so severe that it infected a little of the other 2 teeth beside it. He said that tooth extraction is the only option left to prevent damage to the other teeth. He also said that the pain that I got over the last 2 years is due to the infected tooth. The infection causes severe pain for 2 days, then goes away and comes back again after a few months.
Although having a tooth removed wasn’t what I wanted, I understood that leaving a badly damaged tooth untreated could potentially lead to more serious dental problems. That realization helped me accept the decision. And I made that decision within minutes without thinking much. I had my 2 small kids waiting outside the room for me to go home and have dinner, as it was already late at night and my parents were also feeling very sleepy. I first planned to come again tomorrow or the day after tomorrow for the procedure, but I didn’t have much time as I had a flight to abu dhabi after 5 days. So, if I do it now, I will have some time to recover and someone to support me. While I was thinking all about this, the doctor told me that the tooth extraction procedure would take only 15 minutes and I could go home after that around 10 pm. Even when you understand why a tooth needs to come out, making the decision can still feel uncomfortable. For me, there was a lot of uncertainty. I wondered how painful it would be, whether I would feel anything during the extraction, and how I would manage afterward. It’s easy to imagine the worst when you’re sitting at the clinic thinking about a dental procedure. At the same time, I knew that continuing to live with a severely damaged tooth wasn’t a good long-term solution. Eventually, I decided that dealing with the problem was better than continuing to worry about it or postponing it for the next few days or years.
What the Tooth Extraction Was Like
Before the procedure, the dentist examined the tooth and explained what needed to be done. The doctor was continiusoly expaining me and talking to me while taking out the tooth, so I would feel relaxed. Local anaesthetic was used to numb the area. He did a small injection in my gums that were near the wisdom tooth. After a few minutes, I started feeling the numbness. I was not able to talk properly, and the small part of my lip was not able to move when I was talking. I also felt a strong medicine-like taste in my throat that caused a little burning sensation. The doctor told me that we had to wait for 10 minutes after giving anesthesia to start the procedure. During this gap, I told the doctor to do a checkup for my daughter and son too. My daughter has a little brown teeth, so the doctor suggested a cleaning procedure for her. And told me to take care of her teeth properly. She needs to brush her teeth twice daily and avoid more junk food from outside. My son’s teeth were all good, but his front tooth had not eruptioning since 3 months after his milk tooth fell off. So the doctor took an X-ray of his teeth and showed it to us. His front tooth was slowly coming out of the gums. After doing all the checkups, it was finally my turn to start the tooth extraction procedure. One thing I quickly realized was that the experience was different from what I had imagined. The idea of an extraction can sound frightening, but the actual procedure isn’t necessarily as dramatic as you might expect. You may feel pressure, movement, or pulling during an extraction, but you shouldn’t normally feel sharp pain once the area is properly numb. If you do feel pain, it’s important to tell your dentist so they can address it. I had some sharp pain, so the doctor gave me another dose of anesthesia to avoid that pain too. But still, I felt the pain, and I don’t know why. Or maybe that pain was normal when we get our teeth removed. Since we keep our mouths open for a long time and they put some water and other liquids in our mouths, we feel like vomiting many times. This is completely normal. We don’t feel much pain, but the way the doctor was removing the tooth from the inside was like removing a small thing with a hammer and nail that was stuck in the wall. For me, the experience was mixed. There were moments when I felt relieved that the damaged tooth was finally being dealt with, but there was also anxiety surrounding the procedure and the recovery afterward. The emotional side of the experience was almost as significant as the physical side. After removing the infected teeth, the doctor suggested putting an implant or artificial tooth in that place after one week of tooth extraction, as that tooth is helpful in chewing food. But it takes 20 more days to put. First, they will measure your tooth size, make an artificial tooth, and place it slowly in that open socket. And after putting in an implant, I should come to the doctor every week for a checkup and to see how the new tooth has adjusted in my mouth. Since I didn’t have much time, the doctor told me we can put it in when I come to India in the next 6 months or next year.
The First Few Hours After Extraction
Once the extraction was over, I was given instructions on how to look after the area for the next 3 days. The first few hours are particularly important because a blood clot forms in the extraction socket. This clot helps protect the area while it heals. So, the doctor told me to eat only liquid food items like milk, soups, fresh homemade juice, soft foods like upma, oats, mashed rice, and a simple vanilla-flavoured ice cream that is clean and without any dry fruits on it, after half an hour. I should continue this diet for the next 3 days, and the doctor also told me to avoid junk food for one week, as this can cause an infection in the open socket of the tooth that was just removed. Therefore, following your dentist’s instructions during this period is very important. He told i can brush and eat food from only the other side of my mouth, and can start chewing the food from both sides after 5 days. He also gave me an antibiotic and paracetamol tablets for 3 days that I should take two times in a day. I was conscious of everything I did afterward because I didn’t want to interfere with the healing process. Depending on the individual situation, dentists may recommend avoiding vigorous rinsing, smoking, strenuous activity, and certain foods immediately after an extraction. Your dentist’s specific instructions should always take priority.
Recovery Wasn’t Completely Comfortable
The recovery period was probably the part I found most difficult. Some discomfort after an extraction is normal, and the area can remain tender for several days. Swelling can also occur, depending on the type of extraction and the individual. But I had only mild swelling in the infected area. When I touched that area, I had pain. And for me, whenever I get tooth pain, the whole side of my face hurts. I get a headache and jaw pain too. For me, recovery was a reminder that getting the tooth out was only one part of the process. The body still needed time to heal afterward. There were moments when I wondered whether everything was healing normally. That’s one reason I think it’s important not to compare your recovery too closely with someone else’s. Everyone’s extraction and healing process can be different. If pain becomes severe, gets worse rather than better, or you develop significant swelling, fever, persistent bleeding, or other concerning symptoms, contact your dentist promptly.
The biggest lesson I took away from my tooth extraction was not to ignore dental problems. A small dental problem can sometimes become a much bigger one when it’s left untreated. In my case, the tooth eventually became severely damaged and decayed, leaving extraction as the necessary solution. I also learned that fear can make a dental procedure seem much worse before it happens. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be nervous. Dental anxiety is very real, and there’s nothing unusual about feeling worried before an extraction. But asking questions and understanding what will happen can make the experience easier. If you’re anxious, tell your dentist. They are used to dealing with nervous patients and can explain the procedure and ways to make you more comfortable.
Tips I Would Give Another Adult Facing an Extraction
Based on my experience, here are a few things I’d keep in mind:
1. Don’t ignore a damaged tooth.
If something doesn’t feel right, get it checked rather than waiting for the problem to become worse.
2. Ask questions before the procedure.
Knowing why the tooth needs to be removed and what the procedure involves can reduce some of the uncertainty.
3. Tell your dentist if you’re nervous.
You don’t have to pretend you’re completely comfortable. Letting your dentist know about your anxiety can help them support you.
4. Follow the aftercare instructions carefully.
The extraction itself may be over quickly, but proper aftercare is an important part of healing.
5. Give yourself time to recover.
Don’t expect to feel completely normal immediately. Some tenderness and discomfort can be part of the healing process.
Final Thoughts
Having a tooth extracted as an adult wasn’t an experience I would describe as easy, but it also wasn’t something I feared as much as I initially did. My experience was mixed—there was anxiety, discomfort, and uncertainty, but there was also a sense of relief once the severely damaged tooth was finally gone. If you’re facing an extraction yourself, remember that you’re not alone. Many adults go through the same experience. The most important thing is to work with your dentist, understand what to expect, follow the recovery instructions, and give your mouth the time it needs to heal. For me, the experience was ultimately a reminder that addressing dental problems early can save you from much bigger problems later.
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