You should not pull out a cracked tooth yourself. Even a tooth that feels loose or broken can have roots anchored deep in the jawbone, and attempting to remove it at home risks breaking the root, damaging the bone, and causing a serious infection. A dentist can extract a cracked tooth in a single visit, often in under an hour, using tools and techniques designed to get the entire tooth out cleanly.
That said, if you’re searching this, you’re probably in pain right now. Here’s what you can do immediately, why self-extraction goes wrong, and what to expect when a professional handles it.
What to Do Right Now for the Pain
Rinse your mouth gently with warm water to clear any debris around the cracked tooth. Use dental floss carefully to remove any food trapped between the teeth, which can add pressure and make the pain worse. Apply a cold compress to the outside of your cheek, 20 minutes on and 20 minutes off, to reduce swelling.
An over-the-counter pain reliever like ibuprofen can help dull the ache. Do not place aspirin or any painkiller directly against your gums, as it can burn the tissue. Topical numbing gels containing benzocaine were once commonly recommended, but benzocaine has been linked to a rare condition that reduces the blood’s ability to carry oxygen. If you use one, keep the dose small and talk to your dentist first.
These steps buy you time. They don’t fix the problem. Call a dentist or an emergency dental clinic as soon as you can.
Why Pulling Your Own Tooth Goes Wrong
The visible part of a tooth is only a fraction of the structure. Roots extend deep into the jawbone, and a cracked tooth is especially fragile. When you pull on it, the crown is likely to snap off, leaving root fragments embedded in the bone and gum tissue. Those fragments can become infected, and you won’t be able to see or reach them to remove them.
Tearing the tissue around a tooth also creates an open wound in an environment full of bacteria. Without the ability to properly clean and disinfect the socket, infection risk climbs significantly. A tooth socket infection can spread into the jawbone, weakening it and causing bone loss in the area. In severe cases, infection from a tooth can spread to the neck and throat.
Even if you manage to get the tooth out, you won’t have placed a bone graft or taken any steps to prevent the jawbone from deteriorating in the empty space. Over time, the bone in that spot shrinks, which can loosen neighboring teeth and make future replacement options harder.
Not Every Cracked Tooth Needs Extraction
Cracks vary enormously, and many don’t require pulling the tooth at all. Understanding the type of crack helps you know what you’re dealing with.
- Craze lines are tiny, superficial fractures that only affect the enamel. They’re common, harmless, and don’t need treatment.
- Fractured cusps start in the crown and extend into the deeper tooth structure, but they typically stop near the gum line. A crown or onlay can usually save the tooth.
- A cracked tooth (the clinical term) runs from the biting surface downward but hasn’t separated into pieces yet. A root canal and crown can often rescue it if the crack hasn’t reached the root.
- A split tooth has cracked completely into two separate segments. This is the point where extraction is usually the only option.
- Vertical root fractures start in the root itself and work upward. These are difficult to detect and almost always require extraction.
Extraction becomes necessary when the crack is complete, extends deep into the bone, involves the area where roots branch apart, or when the tooth segments are mobile. A dentist can determine this with an exam and X-rays.
What Happens During a Professional Extraction
The procedure is faster and less dramatic than most people expect. Your dentist numbs the tooth and surrounding gum tissue with a local anesthetic, so you feel pressure but not pain. If you have dental anxiety, sedation options are available.
Using specialized instruments, the dentist loosens the tooth within its socket and lifts it out. For a cracked tooth that has broken off at the gum line or is severely decayed, the dentist may need to make small incisions in the gum to access it, or divide the tooth into sections before removing each piece. This is called a surgical extraction, and it’s routine.
Once the tooth is out, the socket is cleaned and disinfected. The dentist may place a bone graft in the empty space to preserve the jawbone for a future implant. Stitches are sometimes placed but aren’t always needed. The whole process for a single tooth typically takes 20 to 45 minutes.
Cost varies by location and complexity. A tooth extraction in the U.S. generally runs between $196 and $533, depending on whether the tooth is intact, the root is exposed, or bone removal is needed. Dental insurance often covers a portion of medically necessary extractions.
Recovery: What the First Week Looks Like
Your body starts healing immediately. Within hours, a blood clot forms in the empty socket. This clot is critical. It protects the bone underneath and serves as the foundation for new tissue.
On day one, bite down gently on the gauze your dentist provides to help the clot form. Ice your cheek in 20-minute intervals. Eat soft, cool foods like yogurt or pudding. Avoid using straws, spitting, rinsing aggressively, smoking, or drinking alcohol, as all of these can dislodge the clot and lead to a painful condition called dry socket.
By days two and three, you may notice a whitish or yellowish layer forming over the socket. That’s fibrin, a protein your body produces during healing, and it’s a good sign. Gentle salt water rinses can soothe the area. Brush your teeth normally but steer clear of the extraction site. Take any prescribed pain medication as directed, and finish the full course of antibiotics if you were given them.
Around days four through seven, new tissue begins filling in the socket, and the gum starts closing over the opening. By the end of the second week, connective tissue has filled the gap. For straightforward extractions, the socket is mostly closed within three to four weeks. The jawbone underneath continues to rebuild for one to three months.
Signs of Infection to Watch For
A cracked tooth can already be infected before extraction, and it’s important to recognize when a situation has become urgent. Signs of a tooth abscess include:
- Severe, constant, throbbing pain that spreads to your jaw, neck, or ear
- Fever
- Swelling in your face, cheek, or neck
- Tender, swollen lymph nodes under your jaw
- A foul taste or smell in your mouth
- A sudden rush of salty, bad-tasting fluid (which can mean the abscess has ruptured)
If you develop a fever with facial swelling, or if you have any difficulty breathing or swallowing, go to an emergency room. These symptoms can indicate the infection has spread deeper into the jaw, throat, or neck.
Replacing the Tooth After Extraction
Once you’ve healed, you have several options for filling the gap. Leaving a space long-term can cause neighboring teeth to shift and the jawbone to lose density, so replacement is worth considering.
Dental implants are the closest thing to a natural tooth. A small post is placed into the jawbone surgically, and after the bone integrates around it (a process that takes a few months), a prosthetic crown is attached on top. Implants look, feel, and function like a real tooth.
Dental bridges use the teeth on either side of the gap as anchors, with a false tooth suspended between them. They don’t require surgery but do involve reshaping the neighboring teeth to fit the supporting crowns.
Partial dentures are removable and work well when several teeth are missing. They’re the least invasive and least expensive option, though they’re also the least permanent-feeling. Many dentists recommend a hybrid approach, combining methods based on how many teeth are missing and the condition of the surrounding bone and gums.