Have a tooth that hurts or is broken? Dr. Rana tells you plainly if it can be saved. If it can't, he takes it out gently and helps you plan what goes in the space.
From $99 simple extractions · surgical quoted from your X-ray
Surgical or broken-down teeth are quoted after your X-ray.
Get my free consultOr call (786) 579-0521We take an X-ray and tell you if the tooth can be saved.
If it has to go, we numb you well and take it out gently.
You leave with aftercare and a plan for the space.
Dr. Aakash Rana, DDS, plans your care himself and explains every step in plain words. Your price is in writing before anything starts.
Tap to watch. Individual results vary.
A tooth that hurts is not automatically a tooth that has to go. Many painful teeth can be kept with a filling, a crown or a root canal, and your own tooth, when it can be restored well, is usually worth keeping. Saving it keeps the root in the bone, keeps your bite stable and avoids the cost and time of replacing it later.
Still, saving a tooth is not always the wiser path just because it is technically possible. These are the situations where removal usually makes more sense:
When both options are reasonable, we lay out the tradeoffs side by side: how long each is likely to last, what each costs now and later, and what happens to the space. Then you choose. Extractions are one part of our general dentistry care, so the same office that removes a tooth can also restore or replace it.
Dentists sort extractions into two broad groups. Which one you need depends on how much of the tooth is showing, the shape of the roots, and how firmly the tooth is held in the bone. Your exam and X-rays usually answer that before the day of treatment.
A simple extraction is for a tooth that is fully visible above the gum. After numbing, the tooth is gently loosened in its socket with a small instrument and then lifted out. There is usually no cut in the gum. Front teeth and many premolars come out this way, and for many people it is quicker than they expected.
A surgical extraction is needed when the tooth has broken off at the gum line, the roots are curved or spread wide, or part of the tooth is still under the gum. A small flap of gum may be lifted, a little bone may be smoothed away, and a back molar may be divided into sections so each root comes out on its own. That sounds like a lot, but it is often gentler on the bone than forcing a whole tooth out in one piece. Stitches are placed when needed.
Dr. Rana is a general dentist, not an oral surgeon. He removes the teeth that can be taken out safely in a general dental office, which includes many surgical extractions. Some cases belong with an oral surgeon, and we will say so clearly:
If you are referred, you leave with your images and a plain explanation of why, so you are not starting from zero somewhere else. When the tooth is out, you can come back to us to plan the replacement.
We offer same-day appointments Monday to Saturday, 8am to 8pm. Call or text (786) 579-0521 first so we can hold a time for you. The first job at an urgent visit is to find out what is wrong and ease the pain. Some teeth come out that same day. Others are better treated once swelling has settled, and a few need an oral surgeon. Antibiotics are sometimes prescribed when an infection is spreading, but they calm the infection, they don't fix the tooth that caused it.
While you wait to be seen, rinse gently with warm water, hold a cold pack on the outside of your cheek, and take an over-the-counter pain reliever as the label directs if it is safe for you. Don't put aspirin or any tablet directly on the gum, because it can burn the tissue.
Our emergency dentist page covers other urgent problems.
Every extraction starts with local anesthetic, and we test the area before we begin. You should feel pressure and some pushing, but not sharp pain. If you feel anything sharp, raise your hand and we stop and give more anesthetic. Infected teeth can be harder to numb, and we take extra time with them.
If the thought of an extraction makes you tense, oral sedation is available. It is a prescribed pill taken before the visit that helps you feel calm and drowsy while you stay awake and able to respond. You will need someone to drive you home, and we give you written instructions about eating and medicines beforehand. Our team speaks English and Spanish, and we tell you what is happening before each step, so nothing comes as a surprise.
A few minutes of history makes the procedure safer. Please tell us about every medicine and supplement you take, and especially about:
Don't stop any prescribed medicine on your own before an extraction. When it matters, we coordinate with your physician.
New patients start with a free first visit: an exam, a digital 3D scan and a smile preview. To see the roots and the bone around them, we also take dental X-rays, and for some teeth a CBCT, a 3D X-ray. Those images are separate from the first visit, and their cost is confirmed with you before they are taken.
Most people feel calmer once they know the order of things. A typical extraction appointment goes like this:
Time in the chair varies. A simple extraction is often over quickly, while a surgical one takes longer. Plan to keep the rest of the day light.
Good healing depends on one small thing: the blood clot that forms in the empty socket. It protects the bone and nerve underneath while new tissue grows in. Most of the aftercare rules are really about keeping that clot in place.
Dry socket happens when the clot comes loose or breaks down too early and the bone is left exposed. The tell-tale sign is pain that gets worse around day two to four instead of better, often spreading toward the ear, sometimes with a bad taste or a socket that looks empty. It is more common after lower back teeth and in people who smoke. It is very treatable: call us and we clean the socket and place a soothing dressing. Our guide on how to prevent dry socket goes deeper on the habits that protect the clot.
Not every pulled tooth needs to be replaced. Wisdom teeth and teeth removed for braces usually don't. For most other teeth, though, a gap changes things over time: the neighbors tend to tip into the space, the tooth above or below can drift toward it, chewing shifts to the other side, and the bone where the root used to be slowly shrinks. That is why we talk about the replacement before the extraction, not months later.
Planning ahead can also change how the tooth comes out. If an implant is likely, we take care to protect the bone during removal and may suggest a graft in the socket. In some cases an implant can go in on the same day as the extraction; more often the site heals first. It depends on your bone, any infection and your health.
| Option | How it works | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Dental implant | A post placed in the bone, with an abutment and a crown on top | Doesn't rely on the neighboring teeth. From $1,999 for the implant, abutment and crown. Needs healing time and enough bone. |
| Dental bridge | A false tooth held by crowns on the teeth on either side | No surgery and often quicker. The neighboring teeth are reshaped to hold the crowns. |
| Partial denture | A removable plate with one or more replacement teeth | Often the lowest upfront cost and can replace several teeth at once. Comes out for cleaning. |
Read more on dental implants, dental bridges and dentures and partials. Each crown, bridge and denture is planned in-house with our lab, and we show you what the result could look like with a smile preview.
We don't quote an extraction price before seeing the tooth, because two extractions can be very different jobs. You get the exact price in writing before any treatment. These are the things that move it:
If you are combining an extraction with an implant or other work, 0% financing is available on approved credit through CareCredit, Cherry and LendingClub. See financing for how it works.
We accept most major dental insurance. Many plans treat a needed extraction as a basic service and pay a share of it after your deductible, while some group surgical extractions with oral surgery, which can have its own percentage or a waiting period. Many plans also have annual maximums that are often in the $1,000 to $2,000 range.
The replacement is usually handled differently. Bridges and dentures are often counted as major services, and some plans limit or exclude implants. If you need an extraction and a replacement in the same year, the timing can affect what you pay, and we can help you think that through. Bring your insurance details and we check your benefits for you.
Wisdom teeth are the extraction people ask about most, and they come with their own questions: impaction, age, how close the roots sit to the nerve. We cover all of that on our wisdom teeth removal page. The short version: not every wisdom tooth needs to go, many can be removed in our office, and deeply impacted ones are referred to an oral surgeon.
Prana Dental is at 3050 Biscayne Blvd, Suite 703, at NE 30th Street in Edgewater, with building and street parking and rideshare drop-off at the door. It is a short drive from Midtown, Wynwood and the Design District, and a straight run up Biscayne from Downtown and Brickell or over the Julia Tuttle from Miami Beach, depending on traffic.
Dr. Aakash Rana, DDS is a general dentist trained at NYU College of Dentistry, with more than $100,000 in continuing education. He plans and treats each case at Prana Dental himself, works with our in-house lab, and refers to a specialist when a case needs one.
Often, yes. A tooth with deep decay or an infected nerve can frequently be kept with a root canal and a crown. Extraction usually makes more sense when the tooth is split below the gum, too broken down to restore, or loose from advanced gum disease. An exam and X-rays tell us which applies to your tooth.
The tooth and gum are fully numbed first, so you should feel pressure but not sharp pain. If you are anxious, oral sedation is available. Some soreness for a few days afterward is normal and usually eases with over-the-counter pain relief as directed.
Most people feel much better within a few days, and the gum closes over the socket in a few weeks. The bone underneath keeps filling in for a few months. Surgical extractions and back teeth usually take a little longer than simple ones.
It depends on whether the extraction is simple or surgical, which tooth it is, the imaging needed and whether you choose sedation. We confirm the exact price in writing before treatment. We accept most major dental insurance, and 0% financing is available on approved credit.
We offer same-day appointments Monday to Saturday, 8am to 8pm; call or text (786) 579-0521 first. Many teeth can be removed at that visit, while some are better treated after swelling settles or are referred to an oral surgeon. For spreading swelling, fever or trouble breathing or swallowing, go to the ER.
Stick to soft, cool or lukewarm food for the first day or two, such as yogurt, eggs, soup that isn't hot, mashed potatoes or rice. Chew on the other side and avoid straws, crunchy snacks and seeds for about a week. Most people are back to normal food within a week or so.
It depends on your bone, any infection and your overall health. Sometimes an implant can be placed the same day as the extraction, but more often the socket heals for a period first, sometimes with a bone graft. We plan the timing with you before the tooth comes out.
Call or text (786) 579-0521 and we'll find you a time.