Duration of the healing process | Pull a molar

Duration of the healing process

The compartment in the bone where the tooth was previously located must now fill up with tissue again. This is done by the body’s own blood clotting. The wound is usually sutured by the dentist.

After about a week the stitches have to be removed. It takes some time until the wound has completely healed. The pain associated with wound healing usually subsides after a few days.

Extraction of teeth during pregnancy

If possible, extraction should be waited until after pregnancy. But even if you are pregnant, it is usually no problem to extract a molar. Only a few precautions need to be taken.

Dental treatment is easiest in the 2nd trimenon (4th -7th month of pregnancy). During this time, the unborn child is comparatively less sensitive to the stress of dental treatment. The drug Felypressin should not be used under anaesthesia, as it can trigger contractions.

In principle, only medication that cannot pass the so-called placental barrier should be used. From the 6th month onwards there is an additional risk of the so-called vena cava compression syndrome. In this syndrome, the vena cava, i.e. the great vena cava, is clamped from the uterus while the pregnant woman is supine and the blood accumulates.

It can then no longer flow back to the heart. This can cause sweating, shortness of breath or dizziness. Lateral positioning prevents this phenomenon. It is also possible to administer antibiotics if antibiotics are used which may be used during pregnancy. Otherwise, the extraction procedure is the same as for non-pregnant women.

Costs of a tooth extraction

When removing a molar tooth, the patient does not incur any costs at first. These are only incurred when it comes to the further treatment of the resulting gap. Possibilities for this are the making of a bridge, if the neighbouring teeth of the gap are already destroyed or already crowned, or the placing of a dental implant.

If a (partial) prosthesis already exists, it may be possible to extend it under certain circumstances. Sometimes it has to be renewed, especially if the extracted tooth is an anchor tooth. The costs start at about 400€ for a bridge, but can be much more than 1000€ for prostheses and implants.

They depend above all on the type and quality of the material and the expertise of the dentist. There are usually no upper limits. As a rule, health insurance companies cover the costs of the respective standard care. Further benefits can be added if the patient can show a continuously managed bonus booklet for 5 or 10 years. The rest must be paid by the patient.

Duration of sick leave

It is not possible to say in general whether and how long a sick note is necessary after the extraction of a cheek tooth. This is decided by the treating dentist. Usually a sick note after a simple extraction is not necessary.

This means that if only a single tooth is extracted, one can go to work without any problems, but in the next few days one should only fall back on a quiet activity. However, if several teeth are extracted at the same time, the dentist decides how long a sick note is necessary. It then also plays a role where extracted teeth were and how much effort has to be put into the patient’s work and what other diseases already exist.

The wisdom teeth, i.e. the last large molars, are an exception. Due to the high risk of infection or because there is already an inflammation, a sick note is often issued for several days up to a week.