For nervous and avoidant patients in Downers Grove and Lemont: sedation options if you want them, no judgment, and your price confirmed in writing. If the thought of having a tooth pulled makes you tense up, you are not alone. Dr. Xhelo Shuaipaj has done this gently for more than 30 years, using local anesthetic and, if you want it, nitrous oxide or oral conscious sedation.
A tooth extraction is an oral surgery procedure in which a dentist removes a tooth from its socket, sometimes called having a tooth pulled. People have it when a tooth cannot be saved, and for a straightforward case it usually takes about 30 to 60 minutes for one tooth (Cleveland Clinic). Removal is a last resort, so the first question is always whether the tooth can be saved.
A dentist removes a tooth from its socket.
About 30 to 60 minutes for one tooth (national guidance).
Back to routine in about 48 to 72 hours for a simple extraction.
A tooth is usually removed only when it cannot be saved by a filling, crown, or root canal, for example after severe tooth decay, a deep fracture, advanced gum disease, or a badly impacted tooth. A tooth is pulled as a last resort, so where one can be saved, that is what Dr. Xhelo Shuaipaj will try first. An exam and an X-ray, not a guess, decide when an extraction is the right call.
Decay too deep for a filling or crown to fix.
A tooth cracked below what can be repaired.
Bone support around the tooth is lost.
A tooth stuck under the gum, or too little room.
We try to save a tooth first where we can.
A tooth extraction is either simple or surgical. A simple extraction removes a tooth that is fully visible in the mouth, usually with only local anesthetic. A surgical extraction is used when a tooth is broken at the gumline or still under the gum, such as an impacted tooth, and it may need a small incision or dividing the tooth into sections. Which type you need is decided by an exam and an X-ray, not a guess.
| Compare | Simple extraction | Surgical extraction |
|---|---|---|
| The tooth | Fully visible in the mouth | Broken at the gumline or still under the gum |
| Anesthetic | Usually local anesthetic only | Local anesthetic, sedation options if you want them |
| Technique | Loosened and lifted out | May need a small incision or dividing the tooth |
| Recovery | Usually quick | Can take a little longer |
The tooth extraction procedure follows a few clear steps, and knowing how it works ahead of time takes the fear out of it. First the area is numbed with local anesthetic, and sedation options are available if you want them. You are kept numb and checked on the whole way through.
Local anesthetic, plus nitrous oxide or oral conscious sedation if you want it.
Gently, sometimes divided into sections.
The site is cleaned and checked.
To help a blood clot form in the socket.
A clear aftercare plan is explained before you leave. As the tooth comes out, a blood clot forms in the socket within the first 24 hours, and that clot is the foundation for healing.
Comfort comes first here, with a numb, judgment-free visit and sedation options if you want them. The extraction itself is done under local anesthetic, so the area is fully numb and you should not feel pain during it; some soreness afterward is normal. Sedation here is a routine pathway, not an upsell.
Local anesthetic so the area is fully numb.
Nitrous oxide, light and wears off quickly.
Oral conscious sedation for more anxious visits.
No judgment, whether it has been one year or twenty since your last visit.
Recovery from a tooth extraction is usually quick for a simple extraction, with most people back to their routine within 48 to 72 hours and the socket healing over the following couple of weeks. Swelling and discomfort tend to peak around day 3, then ease, so a rough third day is a normal part of healing rather than a warning sign.
Rest, keep gauze in as advised, a blood clot forms.
Swelling peaks, stick to soft foods.
Soft tissue closes over the site.
Most people are back to normal.
The jawbone remodels over several weeks.
Call us if pain worsens after day 3, or you see pus or drainage.
Dry socket happens when the blood clot in the socket is lost or breaks down too early, and you lower the risk by protecting that clot in the first few days. For the first 24 to 72 hours, the aftercare rules are simple.
No straws, no smoking or vaping.
Or spitting, or strenuous activity.
Yogurt, eggs, applesauce, pasta at first.
After the first day, to keep it clean.
Dry socket is when the blood clot is lost too early, leaving bone exposed. Following these steps is the best way to protect the clot, though it does not remove every risk.
A tooth extraction is generally safe, but like any oral surgery it carries some risks, most commonly dry socket or infection, and rarely nerve or sinus irritation. These complications are possible but uncommon, and protecting the blood clot and following the aftercare rules lowers the chance of them.
Some soreness, swelling, and light bleeding in the first day or two.
A fever of 100.4 F or higher, pus or drainage from the site, or severe pain that your medication does not relieve. Calling early, rather than waiting, is the safest thing you can do.
The cost of a tooth extraction depends on a few things: whether it is a simple or a surgical extraction, how many teeth are involved, and the sedation you choose. We do not post a single figure here because your mouth is specific to you; instead, we confirm your exact price in writing at your consultation, before anything is scheduled.
Published cost data from Authority Dental. What changes your price: simple vs surgical, the number of teeth, and the sedation you choose.
Confirmed in writing at your consultation, before anything is scheduled.
Insurance: we work with most major PPO plans, including Delta Dental, MetLife, Cigna, Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, UnitedHealthcare, Guardian, and Humana. Dental insurance often covers part of an extraction. Financing: CareCredit, Cherry, and Sunbit.
Local Dentique extraction fees are supplied by the client and shown here before publish.
The gap left by a removed tooth can often be replaced, most commonly with a dental implant, a bridge, or a denture, depending on the tooth and what you want. Not every gap needs immediate replacement, and which option is right for you is something to talk through at your consultation rather than decide today. Dentique offers implants, bridges, and dentures, so you can plan the replacement with the same team that removes the tooth.
A single replacement tooth anchored in the jaw.
A fixed replacement that spans the gap.
A removable option for one or more teeth.
In some cases a small bone graft is placed at the time of removal, a step called socket preservation, which keeps the bone for a possible future implant.
Dentique Dental Care is one dentist with more than 30 years of experience, known for judgment-free, no-pressure care. That continuity shows in the patients who have stayed with Dr. Xhelo Shuaipaj for 15, 20, and 25 years across the Downers Grove and Lemont offices. Much of what patients write, unprompted, is that they were treated gently and were not upsold.
The same dentist treats you personally.
Rated 4.9 across both offices.
No-pressure treatment planning.
Downers Grove and Lemont.
Nationally, a simple extraction commonly runs about $50 to $500 and a surgical extraction about $200 to $700. Your exact price depends on the tooth and the sedation you choose, and Dentique confirms it in writing at your consultation. That national range is a reference, not a Dentique price.
Most people are back to their routine within 48 to 72 hours after a simple extraction. The socket then closes over the next one to two weeks, and the jawbone keeps remodeling for several weeks after that.
Stick to soft foods such as yogurt, eggs, applesauce, and pasta for the first few days. Wait until the numbness wears off before you eat, and add normal foods back gradually.
Protect the blood clot by avoiding straws, smoking, and vigorous rinsing for the first few days. These steps lower the risk of dry socket, though they cannot rule it out completely.
Swelling and discomfort commonly peak around the third day, then ease. A rough day 3 is a normal part of healing, not a sign that something is wrong.
A simple extraction removes a fully visible tooth, usually with only local anesthetic. A surgical extraction is for a tooth broken at or under the gumline and may need a small incision or dividing the tooth into sections.
The extraction itself is done under local anesthetic, so you should not feel pain during it. Soreness afterward is normal and manageable, and sedation options are available if you feel anxious.
Infection is possible but uncommon. Call the office if you have a fever of 100.4 F or higher, pus or drainage, or severe pain that your medication does not relieve.
Dr. Shuaipaj is the dentist who reviewed this page and cares for patients at Dentique’s Downers Grove and Lemont offices. His credentials are DDS, FDOCS (Fellow of DOCS Education, sedation), and FICOI (Fellow of the International Congress of Oral Implantologists), with more than 30 years of experience across both offices. The clinical information on this page reflects guidance from the American Dental Association and the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Clinically reviewed on [date added before publish].
A no-pressure consult is the next step, where we check the tooth, explain whether it can be saved or should be removed, walk through your sedation options, and confirm your price in writing. There is no pressure and no judgment. If we cannot answer right away, you will get a real callback.
Judgment-free, sedation options available, price confirmed in writing, and a real callback if we cannot answer right away.
Get the smile you deserve today!