Extraction in Woodland Hills
A tooth that aches every time you bite down, a wisdom tooth crowding its neighbors, or a fracture that can't be repaired can affect how you eat, sleep, and get through the workday. When saving a tooth isn't realistic, a careful extraction can relieve discomfort and protect the rest of your smile. Our team at 805 Dentistry, led by Dr. Dar Radfar, DDS, provides both simple and surgical extractions for patients of all ages. Families in Woodland Hills can handle extractions, sedation, imaging, and tooth replacement planning with one practice instead of being sent from office to office.
An extraction is the removal of a tooth from its socket in the jawbone. We recommend it when keeping a tooth would cause more problems than removing it. Common reasons include severe decay, a tooth broken beyond repair, advanced gum disease that has loosened a tooth, crowding, and impacted or problematic wisdom teeth. Before we suggest removal, we look at whether a filling, crown, or root canal could preserve the tooth.
The benefits of a well-planned extraction often reach beyond the single tooth:
- Relief from pain or pressure caused by a damaged or infected tooth
- Lower risk of problems spreading to nearby teeth and gums
- More room when crowding is a concern
- A healthy starting point for an implant, bridge, or denture
For many of our Woodland Hills patients, the biggest relief is simply having a clear plan and knowing what comes next.
We offer two types of extraction, and the right one depends on how the tooth sits in your mouth. A simple extraction is for a tooth that is fully visible above the gumline. After numbing the area, we gently loosen the tooth and remove it. This approach often suits teeth that are badly decayed, loose, or no longer restorable but still intact enough to grasp.
A surgical extraction is for teeth that are harder to reach. Examples include a tooth broken at the gumline, a tooth with curved or complicated roots, and an impacted wisdom tooth that hasn't fully come in. These cases may need a small opening in the gum, or the tooth may need to be removed in sections. Our office includes a board-certified oral and maxillofacial radiologist and offers 2D and 3D imaging, including CBCT scans. That lets us study root position and nearby structures before we begin. In short, simple extractions handle straightforward cases, and surgical extractions handle complex ones. We explain which you need, and why, before treatment.
Will my extraction hurt?
Most patients feel pressure but not pain during an extraction, because we thoroughly numb the area first. If you feel nervous about dental work, you are not alone, and we plan for that.
Our practice has a board-certified dental anesthesiologist on staff. Depending on your needs and the complexity of the extraction, we offer nitrous oxide, oral sedation, IV sedation, and general anesthesia. Many Woodland Hills patients with dental anxiety, or those having several teeth or wisdom teeth removed at once, find that sedation makes the visit far easier. We'll talk through the options together so you can choose with confidence.
What happens during and after the procedure?
The process starts with an exam and imaging, followed by a conversation about your health history and comfort preferences. On treatment day, we numb the area, provide sedation if you've chosen it, remove the tooth with the simple or surgical technique, and place gauze to help a protective clot form. Surgical cases may involve a few extra steps, and we explain each one ahead of time.
Afterward, we walk you through aftercare before you leave. Plan to rest for the remainder of the day, follow our instructions on eating and cleaning around the site, and give the area time to heal. If anything feels unusual, call us. We offer emergency dental appointments, so Woodland Hills patients have a dependable team to turn to if questions come up during recovery.
Should I replace the tooth, and how do I pay for treatment?
In many cases, yes. Replacing a missing tooth can help keep neighboring teeth from shifting and makes chewing more comfortable. We can discuss replacement before your extraction, so the timing works in your favor.
Our office places dental implants and offers bone grafting, bridges, and complete and partial dentures. Our board-certified periodontist also provides implant placement and maintenance. Wisdom teeth and teeth removed for crowding usually don't need replacing, and we'll tell you clearly when that's the case.
Cost should never keep you from getting care. We accept all major PPO insurance plans, welcome self-pay patients, and offer financing to help spread out the cost. Our team will review your options before treatment so there are no surprises. If a tooth has been bothering you, contact 805 Dentistry to schedule a visit. We look forward to helping Woodland Hills patients feel comfortable again.