The blood clot is lost from the socket before the gum heals, leaving it painful, typically three to five days after an extraction. Smoking, vigorous rinsing and using straws are the common causes. It's painful rather than dangerous; we dress the socket and it eases within days.

Tooth Extractions in Edinburgh: Extractions and Wisdom Teeth, Done Gently

Q: Do wisdom teeth always need removing?

No. One that has erupted straight and can be kept clean may stay. We advise removal if it's impacted, partly erupted and repeatedly infected, decayed because you can't reach it, or harming the tooth in front of it. An X-ray, and occasionally a CT scan, shows which applies.

Q: Does having a tooth out hurt?

We numb the tooth and gum thoroughly first, so you'll feel pressure and movement but not pain. Expect a few days of soreness afterwards, which ordinary painkillers control; surgical and wisdom tooth extractions stay sore for longer, with swelling at its worst around day two or three.

Q: Can I be sedated for an extraction?

Yes. Dr Kalsi provides IV sedation (£500 per session) for surgical extractions, several teeth in one visit, or just because you're anxious. You stay awake yet deeply relaxed, recall little afterwards, and need someone to take you home.

Q: How long does it take to heal after an extraction?

Soreness generally eases within a few days, or longer after a surgical extraction, and the gum heals over within one to two weeks. The bone beneath needs a few months to fill in, so if an implant is going into a healed socket, it's usually scheduled around three months afterwards.

Q: Can I have an emergency extraction today?

Often, yes. We hold same-day appointments for anyone in pain, registered with us or not: £75 for registered patients or £99 if you aren't registered. Ring 0131 332 3971 first thing in the morning, and if the tooth could be saved instead, we'll let you know.

Here in Comely Bank we carry out routine and surgical extractions, wisdom teeth included, with local anaesthetic or IV sedation. Saving the tooth always comes first, and if it really must go, we plan its replacement with you.

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A routine extraction is £170 and a surgical or wisdom tooth extraction £450; IV sedation is £500 a session. In pain? We can see you the same day.²

Your oral surgery dentistDr Davinder Kalsi BDS (Aberdeen), BEng, MSc (Dental Implants)Special interests: implants, oral surgery, digital smile design, porcelain veneers. GDC 264493.Meet Dr Kalsi ›

When a Tooth Has to Come Out

Fillings, root canal treatment or crowns will save most teeth. Below are the cases where they can't.

Too Broken to Restore

The crack runs below the gum, or too little tooth is left to support a crown.

Infection That Won't Clear

When root canal treatment can't clear an abscess, or a tooth's earlier root canal treatment has failed.

Advanced Gum Disease

So much bone has gone that the tooth is loose and beyond saving.

Wisdom Teeth

Impacted, partly erupted, repeatedly infected, or decayed because you can't clean them.

Making Room

Once in a while, to free up space for orthodontic treatment.

Baby Teeth

A stubborn baby tooth that stays put and blocks the adult tooth coming in behind.

Routine or Surgical?

The majority are routine; a few take a little more.

Routine: with local anaesthetic, the tooth is eased loose and removed whole, usually within minutes

Surgical: a small opening in the gum, at times removing a little bone or dividing the tooth, then stitches. Wisdom teeth often need this

A collagen plug and stitches in the socket aid healing and preserve bone for an implant later (£220)

You can have IV sedation for a surgical extraction, several teeth in one visit, or if you feel anxious

Read our wisdom teeth removal guide

How It Works

Assessment and X-Ray

We X-ray the tooth to see its roots and the structures nearby. If a wisdom tooth lies near the nerve, our in-house CT scanner pinpoints its exact position.

Numbing

Local anaesthetic means you'll feel pressure, not pain. If you've opted for sedation, we give it beforehand and you'll recall little of the appointment.

The Extraction

Routine ones are over in minutes; surgical ones take longer and close with dissolving stitches.

Afterwards

After a few minutes biting on gauze, you leave with written aftercare and advice on painkillers. If anything needs a second look, we review how the socket is healing.

Replacing the Tooth

A missing back tooth doesn't always cause trouble. Still, a gap allows the neighbouring teeth to drift and the opposing tooth to over-erupt, and the socket's bone shrinks during the first year. If you mean to replace the tooth, plan that before the extraction.

Where the tooth shows when you smile, an immediate denture (£495) or a resin-retained bridge fitted the same day (£550 per unit) lets you walk out with no gap. A dental implant can often go into the healed socket a few months on, or on the day of the extraction if there's enough bone.

Because Dr Davinder Kalsi's special interests are oral surgery and dental implants, he plans the extraction and the replacement as one.

After an Extraction

Rest that day with your head raised, and skip sport and heavy lifting

For 24 hours, avoid rinsing, spitting or using a straw; the clot that forms in the socket heals it

From the day after, rinse gently after meals with warm salt water

Don't smoke for 48 hours at least, and longer if possible; smoking is the most common cause of a painful dry socket

On day one, eat soft food on the opposite side and avoid anything very hot

Take the painkillers we recommend before the numbness fades; after a surgical extraction, swelling and stiffness are worst two to three days on

Call us if pain is getting worse two or three days later, you notice a bad taste, or bleeding won't stop

Fees

Set out in your written plan before we begin. Members of our dental plans save 10%. Prices checked October 2026.²

Extraction, routine	£170
Extraction with collagen and stitches	£220
Wisdom tooth or surgical extraction	£450
IV sedation (each session)	£500
CT scan	£160
Emergency visit, registered patients	£75
Emergency visit, not registered with us	£99
Immediate denture (acrylic)	£495

See every fee

Questions

Fees, pain, sedation and recovery.

How much does a tooth extraction cost in Edinburgh?–

Comely Bank Dental charges £170 for a routine extraction, £220 for an extraction finished with stitches and a collagen plug, and £450 for a surgical or wisdom tooth extraction.² Should you want IV sedation, it's £500 per session. We confirm the fee with you before starting.

Do wisdom teeth always need removing?+

Does having a tooth out hurt?+

Can I be sedated for an extraction?+

What is dry socket?+

How long does it take to heal after an extraction?+

Can I have an emergency extraction today?+

Guides

Extraction Guides

All general dentistry guides

General dentistry · 9 minute read

Implant, Bridge, Denture?

In Pain, or Been Told a Tooth Needs to Come Out?

In pain? We can see you the same day. We also give second opinions on saving a tooth, and offer sedation if you want it.

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