Tooth Extraction and Oral Surgery in Dubai

Third molars arrive last, into a jaw that frequently has no room for them, and the outcome ranges from a perfectly functional tooth to one lying horizontally against the molar in front. Removal is indicated for recurrent pericoronitis — infection under the gum flap over a partly erupted tooth — for decay in the wisdom tooth or in the second molar it presses against, for cysts associated with an unerupted tooth, and for resorption of the neighbouring root.

What is not an indication is prophylactic removal of a symptom-free, disease-free wisdom tooth, or removal to prevent front teeth from crowding, which the evidence does not support.

Lower wisdom teeth sit close to the inferior alveolar nerve, and the relationship between root and nerve canal cannot be judged reliably from a panoramic radiograph alone. Where the film suggests proximity, a cone beam CT scan is taken on the clinic's Planmeca Viso G5 to see the true relationship before deciding on the surgical approach — see CBCT and dental X-ray.

Alongside extractions the department carries out surgical exposure of impacted teeth for orthodontic traction, removal of retained roots, surgical treatment at the root tip where re-treatment of a root canal is not feasible, removal of small soft-tissue lesions with histopathological examination, treatment of a restrictive lingual frenum, and preparation of the ridge before prosthetic or implant treatment, including bone grafting and sinus lift.

Root-end surgery — apicoectomy, where the tip of the root and the infected tissue around it are removed and the canal is sealed from the end — is performed under a dental operating microscope. At that magnification the resected root face can be inspected for additional canals and for cracks, which is what decides whether the tooth is worth keeping at all, and the retrograde seal can be placed under direct vision rather than by feel.

Any tissue removed is sent for laboratory examination. A lesion that looks harmless is still examined, because appearance is not a diagnosis, and a persistent ulcer or a white or red patch that has not healed within three weeks is assessed rather than watched.

Planning starts with the medical history, and the details that change the plan are specific: anticoagulant and antiplatelet medication, bisphosphonates and other antiresorptive drugs taken for osteoporosis or in oncology, immunosuppression, uncontrolled diabetes, recent cardiac events, and prosthetic joints or heart valves that may require antibiotic cover.

Antiresorptive medication deserves particular mention because it is easily overlooked by patients who no longer think of it as current: it carries a risk of impaired healing of the jawbone after extraction, and knowing about it beforehand changes how the tooth is removed and how the site is managed.

Radiographs are taken to assess root shape, the number of roots, ankylosis and the relationship to the nerve canal or the sinus. You are given written pre-operative and post-operative instructions before the appointment rather than while numb afterwards.

Bite firmly on the gauze provided for at least twenty minutes without lifting it to check. For the rest of that day avoid rinsing, spitting, hot drinks, alcohol, straws and strenuous activity, all of which disturb the clot that is holding the socket. From the next day, rinse gently with warm salt water after meals and keep brushing the rest of the mouth normally.

Swelling peaks around the second or third day after surgical removal and then subsides; cold compresses help in the first day. Take the prescribed pain relief before the anaesthetic wears off rather than waiting for pain to establish itself.

Smoking is the single strongest risk factor for a dry socket and for delayed healing. Every day without it after the procedure measurably improves the outcome.

Contact the clinic for bleeding that does not stop with firm pressure, pain that increases from the third day rather than easing, swelling that spreads or is accompanied by fever, difficulty swallowing or breathing, or numbness that has not resolved.

The space left by an extraction does not stay a space. Bone resorbs where the root was, most rapidly in the first six months, the neighbouring teeth tip towards the gap and the opposing tooth over-erupts into it. Each of those changes makes a later replacement more complicated and sometimes requires grafting that would not have been needed if the question had been addressed earlier.

This does not mean every gap must be filled. A missing wisdom tooth needs no replacement, and a single missing back tooth in a mouth with a stable bite is sometimes reasonably left. It does mean the decision should be a decision, taken with the information, rather than something arrived at by default two years later.

The options are set out on the pages about dental implants and crowns, bridges and dentures. Where an implant is likely, preserving the socket with a graft at the time of extraction can avoid a separate procedure later.

A simple extraction at ELEMENTAL starts from AED 900. A surgical extraction is AED 1,500 to AED 2,000 depending on root anatomy and how much bone has to be removed. A consultation is AED 650 and full-mouth CBCT imaging, where it is required, is AED 1,000. Which route applies is established on the scan before the appointment. Prices are current as of August 2026.