Why a tooth comes out
- Decay too deep to fix
- An infection that will not clear
- A tooth badly broken in an accident
- Gum disease that has taken the bone away
- Not enough room in the jaw
- Making space before braces
- Wisdom teeth causing damage
Extractions & wisdom teeth, and the bone underneath.
Wisdom teeth, broken teeth, and the ones you have been told cannot be saved. Removed under sedation by a board-certified surgeon, with the socket handled carefully enough that an implant can still go in afterwards if you want one.
What brought you here
Wisdom Teeth & Tooth Extraction in Memphis & Southaven
Why it matters who does it
An extraction is not just pulling.
How a tooth comes out decides what you can put back.
Almost any dentist can get a tooth out. The difference shows up afterwards, in what is left behind. The walls of the socket are thin, and the bone starts changing the moment the tooth is gone. Force a tooth out and those walls crack. Ease it out, in pieces if it needs to be, and they stay intact.
That bone is the foundation for whatever replaces the tooth. A socket that was handled well is usually ready for an implant. A damaged one may need to be rebuilt first, which means more surgery, more months, and more cost. Same tooth, same appointment, a very different year afterwards.
Wisdom teeth are usually the exception at both ends. Nothing needs to go back in their place, so the socket simply heals. But they can also be among the harder teeth to remove well: often positioned under bone, and sometimes sitting close to the nerve that gives your lip its feeling.
You do not need to know which procedure you need before you come in. Our job is to listen to what is bothering you, make the diagnosis, explain what we find, and discuss the reasonable options. We recommend treatment based on health, function, predictability and your individual needs, not simply on what procedure is available.
And if you have already been told it has to go: bring the X-ray and the plan with you. Sometimes we agree. Fairly often there is an option worth discussing, and either way it costs you one appointment instead of one tooth.
Two things, explained simply
Extractions and wisdom teeth.
Everything most people want to know, in plain English. Pick the part you came for.
Tooth extraction
Taking a tooth out.
Removing a tooth is sometimes the right treatment, but the decision should begin with one question: can the tooth be kept predictably and healthfully? Here is how we evaluate that, and what happens if it does have to come out.
Type one
A simple removal
A tooth that is fully erupted and accessible may sometimes be removed with a simple extraction. We numb the area, loosen the tooth, and lift it out. No cutting.
Most people feel pressure rather than pain.
Type two
A surgical removal
A broken, impacted, partially erupted, or anatomically difficult tooth may need a surgical approach, which can include a small incision, removal of surrounding bone, or sectioning the tooth so each root comes out its own way.
The word “surgical” does not by itself predict how difficult recovery will be. Complexity depends on the tooth, roots, bone, infection, age and anatomy, so we clean the socket and stitch the gum according to what your case actually needs.
Comfort
Can I be asleep for it?
Sedation is available for selected patients. The appropriate level depends on the procedure, anxiety, medical history, medications, airway considerations, and safety, so we discuss the options with you rather than assuming one is right.
If you are nervous, say so at the first visit. It is the most common reason people put this off for years.
Please tell us
Your medicines matter
Blood thinners, osteoporosis medicines, steroids and diabetes medication can all change how we plan things. So can past radiotherapy to the head or neck, even years ago.
Most of the time none of these stop you having the tooth out. We just need to know first. Never stop a medicine on your own before dental treatment.
Time & cost
How long, and what it comes to
- Simple removal, often under fifteen minutes
- Surgical removal, often thirty to forty-five minutes
- Four wisdom teeth, often around an hour
These are typical ranges, not guarantees, since complexity varies by tooth. Price depends on how many teeth, simple or surgical, and whether you want sedation. Dental or medical insurance may cover part of it. We check both and quote you before you book.
Waiting rarely helps. An infected tooth does not usually settle down on its own. It often gets more expensive to treat, and it can quietly damage the bone around it while you decide. If it hurts, come in and let us look at it.
Wisdom teeth
The ones at the very back.
They arrive in your late teens or twenties, into a jaw that already stopped growing. If there is room, they are normal teeth. Wisdom teeth do not need to be removed simply because they are present. If there is not enough room, they can sometimes cause trouble for the tooth in front of them.
Why they get stuck
A stuck tooth is called impacted. It can be tilted forward into its neighbour, standing upright but trapped under the gum, or lying almost on its side.
Tilted forward is the most common. Lying on its side does the most damage.
Signs there is a problem
- Aching at the very back that comes and goes
- Sore, puffy gum over a half-erupted tooth
- A bad taste that will not brush away
- A stiff jaw, or trouble opening wide
- Food packing behind the tooth every meal
A common cause
That flap of gum
When a wisdom tooth is only half through, a flap of gum sits over it. Food and bacteria get underneath, and it can swell up.
Antibiotics can help settle an active infection, but they do not remove the flap itself, so symptoms can return. Recurrent infection is one of several reasons removal may be recommended, alongside the overall diagnosis.
When removal may be recommended
- Recurrent infection
- Decay that cannot be predictably restored, in it or in the tooth next to it
- A cyst or other pathologic change around a buried tooth
- Damage or risk to an adjacent tooth
- Significant periodontal problems
- Another clear clinical indication, such as your orthodontist needing it gone
Honestly
When they should stay
A healthy, functional, cleansable wisdom tooth that bites against the tooth above may be appropriate to keep. We will not take out healthy ones just because they are there.
That said, an asymptomatic wisdom tooth may still need monitoring, since the absence of pain does not always mean the absence of disease.
Good to know
You may not have four
Lots of people do not. Some have three, some have two, some have none at all. One X-ray answers it.
Plenty of people come in expecting four removals and leave being told they have two.
Lower ones
The nerve underneath
A nerve runs through the lower jaw, sometimes near the roots of a lower wisdom tooth. It is what gives feeling to your lip and chin.
Imaging helps us evaluate the relationship. In selected higher-risk cases, additional 3D imaging or a modified surgical plan may be considered, and we discuss the specific risks and alternatives with you before treatment.
Your choice
All four at once?
Most people do all four in one sedated appointment. One recovery, one lot of time off, one bill.
One side at a time means you can still chew on the other. Neither is better medically: it comes down to how much disruption you would rather take in one go.
Afterwards
The bottom ones are usually the sore ones
Upper wisdom teeth often come out more easily and cause less discomfort. The lower ones sit in harder bone, so they tend to cause more of the swelling and stiffness.
For many patients, day two or three is the peak of it, followed by steady improvement, though recovery varies from person to person.
One myth, cleared up. Wisdom teeth get blamed for front teeth going crooked later in life. The evidence does not really support it: the same crowding happens to people who never had wisdom teeth at all. We will not use that as a reason to remove yours.
Healing & what comes next
The first few days.
Most of your recovery comes down to a handful of simple things in the first few days. And unless it was a wisdom tooth, there is one more decision to make about the gap.
Days one to three
What to do
- Rest for two or three days
- Sleep propped up on pillows, not flat
- Ice on your cheek: 20 minutes on, 20 off
- Take the pain relief we give you, on time
- Do not smoke
- Call us if bleeding will not stop
Important
Protect the clot
A blood clot forms in the socket. It covers the bone underneath while new tissue grows. Everything on the “do not” list is there to protect it.
No straws, no smoking, no spitting, no hard rinsing for the first few days. Suction and pressure are what pull it out.
Watch for this
Dry socket
Dry socket occurs when the protective clot is lost or breaks down before the socket is adequately covered by healing tissue. It is not the most common outcome, and it can cause significant pain, often with a pattern where things feel better for a day or two before turning worse. Not every postoperative ache is dry socket, and not every extraction carries the same risk.
Call us if you are concerned. It usually needs local care, and relief typically follows soon after treatment. Do not sit at home hoping.
Eating
What to eat
- Day one: cool and soft. Yoghurt, apple sauce, lukewarm soup
- That week: soft and warm. Eggs, pasta, mash, fish
- Skip: seeds, nuts, popcorn, crisps, rice
- Chew on the other side for a few days
Do not skip meals. Healing needs fuel.
Pain
Stay ahead of it
Take the first dose before the numbness wears off. Taking pain relief on a schedule tends to work better than waiting until pain has already started.
Then stick to the schedule for the first couple of days rather than waiting to see how you feel. Take it with food.
All normal
Things that look worse than they are
Swelling often peaks around day two or three, getting worse before it gets better. A stiff jaw after a lower wisdom tooth commonly takes about a week to loosen. Bruising can show up on your cheek and drift downwards as it fades.
Small sharp bits of bone sometimes work their way out weeks later. Come in and we will smooth it off.
Call us straight away
Things that are not
- A fever, or swelling still growing after day three
- Swelling spreading to your eye or neck
- Trouble swallowing or breathing
- Pus, or a foul discharge
- Bleeding that soaks through gauze again and again
- A numb lip or chin still there weeks later
Trouble breathing or swallowing is an emergency. Go to an emergency room, do not wait for us to open.
The gap
Why not to leave it too long
Bone under an empty socket can start shrinking within weeks. Over time, the teeth either side may lean into the space, and the tooth above may drop down.
It is worth deciding within a reasonable window, not to sell you something, but because the site you would build on can slowly get worse the longer replacement is delayed.
Your options
Implant, bridge, or nothing
For non-wisdom teeth, replacement depends on which tooth was removed, the condition of neighboring teeth, the bite, bone and gum anatomy, esthetic needs, and your goals. Options may include an implant, a bridge, a removable prosthesis, orthodontic space management, or in selected situations no replacement.
Wisdom teeth usually do not need replacement. There is no tooth behind them to drift, so the gap generally heals on its own.
A quick word on socket grafts. If there is any chance you will want an implant later, putting a little bone graft into the socket on the day keeps the shape of the ridge. It is far easier than rebuilding it in two years. It is not always needed, and we will tell you honestly whether yours does.
One appointment
Let us look before you decide.
Bring the tooth and the X-ray if you have one. We will tell you whether it can be saved, and if it cannot, what happens next, with the cost and the sedation sorted out before anything is booked.
Southaven, MS · serving Memphis & the Mid-South · sedation available
Trusted & recognized
Extractions in experienced hands.
The credentials behind every tooth we take out, and every one we talk you out of.
Voted DeSoto's Best, 8 years in a row 2018 to 2025
Selected Face of Dental Implants, 9 years in a row 2018 to 2026
Voted Memphis best periodontist 2 times
Midsouth's only Board Certified Dual Specialist
Voted Top Dentist, 7 years in a row 2020 to 2026
30 Years of Clinical ExperienceStep by step
How it works.
Four steps, start to finish.
1
We look at it
X-rays, and a 3D scan if the tooth sits near the nerve. We take your medical history and a list of your medicines, because some of them change the plan. Bring any X-ray another dentist has given you.
2
You see what we see
The images go up on the screen and we walk you through them: what is wrong, what the options are, and which one we would pick if it were our own mouth. You leave understanding the decision, not just agreeing to it.
3
The plan, and the price
Simple or surgical, one tooth or four, what sedation you want, and what goes in the gap afterwards. We check your dental and medical cover here. Nothing is booked until you have the full picture.
4
The day, and afterwards
Numb throughout, sedated if you chose it. You go home with written instructions, not a rushed explanation. Stitches typically come out in a week or two, and if a tooth came out, this is when we plan what replaces it.
Your surgeons
Who will be taking it out.
Both board-certified. Both operating here every week.
Dr. Pradeep Adatrow
DDS, MSD · Periodontics & Prosthodontics
A former University of Tennessee professor and program director, and the only board-certified periodontal and implant surgeon who is also a prosthodontist in the southern United States. Degrees from the University of Alabama and the University of Tennessee, with postdoctoral training at Indiana University. That combination is why the conversation about removing a tooth and the conversation about replacing it happen in one room, with one person. Fellow of the International College of Dentists.
Learn more →
Dr. Jay Patel
DDS, MPH · Board Certified Periodontist
Board-certified in periodontics, with his dental degree from USC's Ostrow School of Dentistry and postgraduate surgical training at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Patel works with a deliberately light touch on soft tissue, the quality that counts for most on a frenectomy, and on any extraction where the bone has to survive intact for an implant later.
Learn more →The difference
Why people drive here for it.
Small operations are where corners get cut. These are the ones we do not cut.
- Dr. Adatrow is board-certified in both gum surgery and rebuilding teeth, the only one practising in the southern United States.
- Thirty years of clinical experience, and a practice that treats TMJ as well, so jaw problems get spotted rather than missed.
- 3D imaging in our own building. Nothing gets sent out, and nothing waits a week.
- Sedation is available in-house, with the training behind it, not referred elsewhere.
- Removal and replacement are planned by the same person, in the same visit.
- You leave with written aftercare and a phone number that reaches an actual person.
Wisdom teeth
Wisdom teeth removal in Memphis and Southaven.
When wisdom teeth should come out
Wisdom teeth are often removed when they are impacted (stuck under the gum or bone), only partly through, causing repeated infection or pain, crowding nearby teeth, or too hard to keep clean. Some healthy, well-positioned wisdom teeth can stay. An X-ray or 3D scan shows which applies to you.
Comfortable removal
Most extractions are done with local anesthesia, and oral or IV sedation is available for impacted teeth or anxious patients. You get clear aftercare instructions to lower the risk of dry socket.
Planning ahead for implants
If any tooth has to be removed, we can preserve the socket for a future dental implant. Read more about socket preservation.
Tooth extraction near you
Our Southaven, MS office sees patients from Memphis, Olive Branch, Horn Lake, Hernando and Collierville.
Why Southaven patients choose a specialist
Impacted or difficult extractions are routine for our surgical team. Southaven patients can choose nitrous, oral or IV sedation, and if an implant is planned later we can preserve the socket at the same visit. Free consultation, financing and most dental insurance accepted.
Good to know
Practical questions.
Do all wisdom teeth need to be removed?
No. Impacted, infected or problem wisdom teeth usually should come out, but healthy, well-positioned ones can stay. An X-ray or scan shows which applies to you.
Can I be sedated for wisdom teeth removal?
Yes. Oral and IV sedation are available, especially for impacted teeth or anxious patients.
How soon can I be seen?
Call and ask. If you are in pain we will try to fit you in quickly. Toothache and swelling are not things we ask people to wait weeks for.
Can I be sedated, and can I drive myself home?
Sedation is available for selected patients, and the appropriate level depends on the procedure, anxiety, medical history, medications, airway considerations and safety. If you have had local anaesthetic alone you can usually drive yourself. If you are sedated in any form you must arrange a driver, and you should not drive, work or make decisions for the rest of that day.
Will I need antibiotics?
Not every extraction requires antibiotics. They are prescribed when there is an appropriate clinical indication based on infection, medical risk, or other factors, not routinely for every extraction. If we give them to you, finish the course.
How soon can I exercise again?
Activity restrictions depend on the complexity of the extraction, bleeding risk, swelling, medications and how you are healing, so we give procedure-specific instructions. As a general guide, many people wait roughly two to three days, since raising your heart rate too early can restart bleeding and bring the throbbing back.
Can I have a tooth out while I'm pregnant?
Urgent dental treatment can sometimes be performed during pregnancy, but timing, medications, imaging and other considerations should be individualized and coordinated with your obstetric care when appropriate. Planned, non-urgent removals are often scheduled for the second trimester where that fits the individual plan.
Can I eat before the appointment?
That depends on whether you are having local anaesthetic only or sedation. If local anaesthetic only, eat normally, since going in hungry makes people faint. If you are being sedated we will give you fasting instructions when we book you, and those matter, so follow them exactly.
Do you see patients from outside Southaven?
Constantly. People travel to us from Memphis, Germantown, Collierville, Bartlett and Cordova; from Olive Branch, Hernando, Horn Lake, Batesville, Senatobia, Holly Springs and Clarksdale; and from West Memphis, Marion, Forrest City and Brinkley.
What if I'm genuinely terrified of the dentist?
Say so at the first phone call, not on the day. It is the most common reason people put an extraction off for years, and it is the easiest thing for us to plan around.
Book an appointment
Let’s look at it first.
Tell us what’s going on: a wisdom tooth that keeps flaring up, a molar that broke last week, or a tooth another office says has to go. Bring the X-ray if you have it. A real person on our team will call you back.
Call or text · (662) 655-4868
Email · info@adatmj.com
Address · 7135 Getwell Rd, Suite 100, Southaven, MS 38672
Hours · Mon to Wed, 8am to 5pm · Thu and Fri, 7am to 3:30pm