Tooth Extraction In Turkey

Tooth extractions are one of the most common procedures performed by a dentist. You may need to have a tooth pulled in either childhood or adulthood. If this is something you have never experienced before, you may not know too much about the process. Fortunately, a tooth extraction is a fairly straightforward procedure — it is completely safe and will be over before you know it. To gain a better understanding of what takes place, read the relevant details below.

Types of Tooth Extractions

There are two different types of tooth extraction that a dentist can perform on a patient:

Simple Extraction

This type of extraction is performed on teeth that can be easily seen inside your mouth. As the name suggests, the process is rather simple — the dentist just has to loosen the tooth before extracting it from the gum line.

Surgical Extraction

Some teeth aren’t quite as easy for dentists to remove. Sometimes a tooth may have broken off at the gum line, keeping part of it hidden, or the tooth may not have erupted at all and may still be buried in the gum. If either of these cases is diagnosed, the dentist will perform a surgical extraction. Here, the dentist makes an incision in the gum so the tooth can be accessed more easily. There is also a chance they may have to fragment the tooth, which allows it to be removed in several parts.

The Reasons Behind a Tooth Extraction

Let’s take a look at just why you may need to have a tooth extracted. The most typical reasons are as follows:

Excess Damage

There are a number of ways a tooth can get damaged. In some instances, an accident or a fall can break or damage a tooth so severely that the only option is to remove it. In other cases, advanced decay is to blame. When there is just too much damage to fix, many dentists will recommend an extraction.

Significant Infection

The area within the tooth, such as the root canal, can become infected, and there is the risk of this infection spreading. It is often possible to disinfect and seal this area — a procedure known as root canal treatment. However, if the infection has spread too far, a dentist may need to perform an extraction to prevent the problem from getting worse.

Periodontal Disease

Periodontal disease is an oral health condition that affects the gums and sometimes the bone surrounding a tooth. If the problem advances, the gums may become compromised, leading to shaky or loose teeth. Here, too, a dentist may decide to remove the affected teeth ahead of time.

Overcrowding

Some people experience crowded teeth. This is essentially when your teeth are too big for your mouth, causing them to be pushed together. To make sure your teeth are aligned properly, your dentist may strategically pull out one or more teeth, creating enough room for the remaining teeth to sit straight. This is also a procedure dentists turn to when they need to prepare your mouth for orthodontic treatment, before using other tools to correct the alignment of your teeth.

Impacted Teeth

In certain instances, a tooth is prevented from coming out of the gum. The most well-known example is wisdom teeth. When this happens, there is an increased risk of infection as well as overcrowding, so depending on the outcome, the dentist may recommend removing these teeth.

Did you know you can save your wisdom teeth? While most patients just want their wisdom teeth gone, we now offer the option to harvest them for stem cell banking — a way to invest in your future health. Read our full guide on wisdom teeth stem cells.

Preparing for a Tooth Extraction

As mentioned, most tooth extractions are rather clear-cut procedures. Still, depending on your overall health and your particular case, your dentist may require you to prepare for the surgery in a number of ways. They will be able to issue better instructions once they have taken an X-ray of your teeth. For instance, your dentist may prescribe antibiotics to take prior to the surgery — this becomes more likely if you already have an infection, have a compromised immune system, or if the dentist anticipates that the surgery will be quite extensive.

Your dentist also needs to know if you have been diagnosed with certain medical conditions, as they can have an impact on the procedure. You should especially share any information regarding these issues:

• Diabetes
• Congenital heart problems
• Thyroid disease
• Kidney disease
• Liver disease
• High blood pressure
• Adrenal disease
• Artificial joints
• Lowered immunity
• History of bacterial endocarditis
• Damaged or replaced heart valves

Following Your Dentist’s Instructions

In the end, it is your dentist who will be best equipped to provide you with accurate instructions regarding your procedure, so it is important that you follow them exactly. For the most part, the guidelines will be rather simple — you may only need to show up with a clean mouth for the operation to proceed. On the other hand, if your dentist decides you will require heavier sedation or general anaesthetic, then the instructions will be more significant. For example, they may advise you to refrain from eating for around 12 hours prior to the surgery.

The Procedure

These are the stages of a simple tooth extraction:

1. The dentist injects a local anaesthetic around the area of the tooth that is to be extracted.
2. They use a tool known as an elevator to loosen the tooth.
3. The tooth is removed.
4. The dentist places a piece of gauze into the empty socket to prevent bleeding.

This is what you can expect from a surgical extraction:

1. You may receive either a mixture of sedation anaesthesia and local anaesthesia, or general anaesthesia.
2. The dentist creates an incision in the gum to expose the tooth and possibly the bone.
3. Depending on the situation, the dentist may divide the tooth and then remove each piece individually.
4. The site is cleaned thoroughly.
5. The gum may or may not be sutured, subject to the size and depth of the incision.

The Risks Involved With a Tooth Extraction

You will find that in most instances the benefit of a tooth extraction far outweighs the risks. Nevertheless, there are some issues that may arise once a tooth has been removed. For one thing, an extraction creates an entry point for bacteria to enter your system — the chance of this is even greater for people with certain immune problems, which is why a dentist will put such individuals on antibiotics prior to the procedure. Here are some of the other risks you may need to contend with:

Dry Socket

As mentioned, a natural blood clot forms in the empty socket once the tooth is removed, more or less acting as a plug. Under certain circumstances, though, the blood clot may break off or break down too early. When this happens, the bone underneath the socket can be exposed to air and food particles. A dry socket can be rather painful, but it can also be remedied easily — your dentist will simply place a sedative dressing over the area, which is removed a few days later once a new, protective clot has formed in the socket.

Accidental Tooth Damage

Your dentist will need to rely on certain tools to remove your tooth. Some teeth may be loosened easily and others may require a little more force. If your dentist does need to apply a bit more pressure, there is always a chance that teeth near the one being extracted may be damaged in the process. This may become more likely if you have had certain work done on surrounding teeth — for example, if you have dental fillings or a dental crown, there is a chance for these to become dislodged during the extraction.

Nerve Damage

In the case of a surgical tooth extraction, your dentist will need to expose your gums and bone to reach the impacted tooth. There are quite a few nerve endings within this area, so while removing the tooth, one of these nerves may become damaged. If this does happen, you may experience some numbness that can take several months to heal.

When to Call Your Dentist

It is quite rare for the circumstances mentioned above to happen. Still, you should call your dentist if you notice any of the following symptoms:

• Bleeding that continues for more than 12 hours
• Redness or swelling at the extraction point
• Fever or chills that can indicate an infection
• Difficulty swallowing
• Cough
• Shortness of breath
• Nausea or vomiting
• Extreme, continued pain

Tooth Extraction Aftercare

Even the most straightforward tooth extraction is still a dental procedure. For this reason, you should try to rest for around a day once your tooth has been removed — at the very least, avoid returning to your regular schedule until you feel better. It should take a few days to recover, barring any unforeseen complications.

During this time, it is normal to feel some discomfort. Most dentists will recommend over-the-counter medications such as NSAIDs to reduce some of this pain. Since surgical extractions are often more painful, your dentist may prescribe stronger pain medication for a short period. Once your procedure is complete, the dentist will provide aftercare instructions to reduce the risk of complications and pain and to promote healing, so you should follow them carefully. Since there will be a little swelling at the site, you can apply an ice pack to the affected area to keep the swelling down — keep it on for around ten minutes, and repeat this for the first few hours after the procedure. Some swelling is completely normal; our guide on swelling after tooth extraction explains what to expect and when it should settle.

For the first 24 hours following the procedure, you must avoid rinsing. While you can still floss and brush your teeth, you must avoid the extraction site, and when getting rid of toothpaste, spit it out gently. Once these 24 hours are up, mix around 30 ml of water with half a teaspoon of salt and use this to rinse your mouth gently.

After the extraction, you must eat soft foods for about a day or two — most dentists recommend soup, applesauce, and yoghurt. It is really important to avoid using straws for a while. Once the site begins to heal, you can start eating solid foods again. If you are a smoker, you should stop for a few days before and after the procedure: smoking increases the possibility of dry socket and can cause the extraction site to heal much more slowly. When lying down, keep your head elevated by propping up pillows underneath it, which may help slow some of the bleeding from the extraction site.

Once the area has fully healed — usually after around three months — a missing tooth can be permanently replaced with dental implants, so you don’t have to live with a gap. These are the top factors you need to know about tooth extraction. As you can see, there is quite a bit to learn, but once you have digested this information you will be well prepared and know exactly what to expect.

How Much Does a Tooth Extraction Cost in Turkey?

At our clinic in Antalya, a simple tooth extraction is £36 with cash payment (£40 by card) and a surgical extraction is £119 (£132 by card). Both prices include the anaesthetic, the procedure and your aftercare medication.

In the UK, a simple private extraction typically costs around £150 and a surgical extraction around £350, so UK patients save 66–76%. An extraction is rarely the whole reason to travel on its own — most patients have it as part of a wider plan, and once the socket has healed the gap can be restored with dental implants or a dental bridge.

Why Choose Smile Dental Turkey for Your Tooth Extraction?

Simple and Surgical Extractions by Experienced Surgeons

Straightforward extractions are handled by our general dentists, while complex and surgical cases — such as impacted wisdom teeth — are performed by our oral and maxillofacial surgeons. If you’re having a tooth removed as the first step toward replacing it, our team plans the extraction and the future restoration together, so your options stay open. You can meet the full team of dentists in Turkey and read every credential in full.

Officially Accredited & Verified

• Turkish Dental Association (TDB) — Accredited Member: Our clinic and clinicians adhere to the highest professional and ethical standards nationally recognised in Turkey.
• Turkish Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery — Member: Reflecting our specialist surgical team, who handle complex and surgical extractions.
• AACI Accredited (American Accreditation Commission International): Independent international accreditation for dental organisations, verifiable on the official AACI registry.
• ISO 9001:2015 Certified by AACI: The internationally recognised standard for quality management in healthcare.
• Official Health Tourism Certificate (Turkish Ministry of Health): The government accreditation that makes treatment at our clinic officially recognised for international patients. Many clinics operating in Turkey do not hold this certificate.
• HealthTürkiye — Government-Listed Provider: We are officially listed on the Turkish Ministry of Health’s international health-tourism platform (operated by USHAŞ). You can verify our clinic directly on the government .gov.tr portal.

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Get Your Free Assessment

Need a tooth removed, or planning to replace one you’ve already lost? Start your free online dental consultation — send us a few photos and our dentists will advise on the extraction and, where needed, the best way to fill the gap afterwards, with no obligation.

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