“Which tooth is the hardest to extract?”
I am a 25 year old male. I want to know which tooth is the hardest to extract?
7 Answers
The longer the roots are, the harder is to remove them. Generally the canines are the hardest to remove but some molars can be hard to remove too.
I cannot answer this question precisely. Each tooth has a unique anatomy. Usually, impacted wisdom teeth or teeth with curved roots are harder to extract.
Curious question. A longer rooted and multi rooted tooth in dense bone is the hardest, and that varies genetically.
Normally, wisdom tooth is the hardest, but any tooth which is impacted is even harder to remove.
Thanks.
Thanks.
Lower molars, especially, lower wisdom teeth are hardest to extract.
Hello,
What a very good question! However, the answer is not the same for everyone; and there are different reasons for different teeth to be difficult to extract. In the movie, "The Hangover", we find out that he extracted his own tooth to prove to his buddies he is a good dentist. One thing the movie did not note was the tooth that he extracted is generally considered to be one of the easiest teeth to extract. We could hardly talk about the most difficult teeth to extract without talking about lower (mandibular) wisdom teeth (3rd molars). Most of the time, these teeth are impacted and need to be cut into pieces to remove. Even when they are not so impacted, they have a high level of bone behind them which leaves no place for them to go. These teeth may not have the most complicated root structure, but their location makes them very difficult. Moving on to root structure, Maxillary (upper jaw) 1st molars, have 3 roots and they can be spread out like a spider. This makes them very hard to extract because they have very good anchorage. These teeth are usually cut into 3 sections and extracted as if they are 3 single rooted teeth. Finally, canines (cuspids) can present a challenge for extraction. Canines may only have one root; but, it is the longest root. Canines also have a relatively straight crown which makes it hard to grab onto with our instruments. Maxillary canines are difficult; however, the mandible has much denser bone than the maxilla, so a mandibular canine is less likely to move. Most difficult overall probably has to go to lower wisdom teeth (there is a reason why general dentist do not extract these teeth very often). Notice the upper wisdom teeth did not make this list. A lot of time they are not nearly as impacted and they are easier to extract because there is more room and less dense bone then the lower wisdom teeth. Not including lower wisdom teeth, most dentist might agree that the rest of the teeth mentioned will depend on the situation. Some people it might be the lower canine, while others it might be the upper 1st molar.
Hope this helps.
My best to you!
William F. Scott IV, DMD
What a very good question! However, the answer is not the same for everyone; and there are different reasons for different teeth to be difficult to extract. In the movie, "The Hangover", we find out that he extracted his own tooth to prove to his buddies he is a good dentist. One thing the movie did not note was the tooth that he extracted is generally considered to be one of the easiest teeth to extract. We could hardly talk about the most difficult teeth to extract without talking about lower (mandibular) wisdom teeth (3rd molars). Most of the time, these teeth are impacted and need to be cut into pieces to remove. Even when they are not so impacted, they have a high level of bone behind them which leaves no place for them to go. These teeth may not have the most complicated root structure, but their location makes them very difficult. Moving on to root structure, Maxillary (upper jaw) 1st molars, have 3 roots and they can be spread out like a spider. This makes them very hard to extract because they have very good anchorage. These teeth are usually cut into 3 sections and extracted as if they are 3 single rooted teeth. Finally, canines (cuspids) can present a challenge for extraction. Canines may only have one root; but, it is the longest root. Canines also have a relatively straight crown which makes it hard to grab onto with our instruments. Maxillary canines are difficult; however, the mandible has much denser bone than the maxilla, so a mandibular canine is less likely to move. Most difficult overall probably has to go to lower wisdom teeth (there is a reason why general dentist do not extract these teeth very often). Notice the upper wisdom teeth did not make this list. A lot of time they are not nearly as impacted and they are easier to extract because there is more room and less dense bone then the lower wisdom teeth. Not including lower wisdom teeth, most dentist might agree that the rest of the teeth mentioned will depend on the situation. Some people it might be the lower canine, while others it might be the upper 1st molar.
Hope this helps.
My best to you!
William F. Scott IV, DMD
Any impacted wisdom tooth, any tooth with extremely curved roots, or a tooth which has fused to the bone can be challenging to extract. You should visit an oral surgeon for a consultation, who can order appropriate imaging and conduct a thorough clinical examination to determine the level of difficulty of your tooth that needs to be extracted.
