“Are there side effects of a tooth extraction?”

Not usually, however a dry socket could occur

Depends on the tooth. Top usually heals fast and post-care is super important!

The important question is, why does this tooth need to be extracted? If it is for crowding and you can't clean your teeth in that area. Once the tooth is removed, you have to assess your situation. Are you flossing your teeth first and brushing correctly. Are you planning to replace the tooth? When a tooth is removed the teeth on the same side and the teeth above or below the extraction site will start slowly moving. This can cause malocclusion. Teeth want to touch. The tooth above or below can move up or down to try to "touch." You may notice that a tooth below or above the extraction site has become higher or lower than the rest of the teeth in the arch. This may cause food being trapped between some teeth -- that was not a problem before. There are other problems that removing one tooth can cause. Make sure the next time you have your teeth cleaned, and the talk about "HomeCare" starts PAY ATTENTION. YOUR TEETH ARE YOURS 24/7. Going to the dentist twice a year will not guarantee you will keep your teeth. Poor home care is affecting your total body health. Gum disease just doesn't affect your mouth. Bacteria and their toxins get into your blood stream. They can travel to your brain, heart, liver, lungs, and joints. Mouth care was never focused as a major part of Health Care Insurance, yet poor home care is causing or adding billions to the cost of health care. Our mouths were considered "COSMETIC, WHITE TEETH, GREAT SMILES." This is the individual's RESPONSIBILITY, while the effect of poor mouth care has been quietly damaging our total body health and adding exponentially to health care costs. Remember, we are all born with the possibility of having up to 32 teeth. Take the population of our country and multiply it by 32. That's a big part of health care costs, we never even considered was the "SILENT" partner we never knew existed!

Aside from acute pain and possible post operative infection, tooth extraction has a relatively low complication rate.

There are several possible complications and side effects from have a tooth extraction. Your dentist should go over these with you thoroughly before taking the tooth out. A few possible complications could be sinus involvement with the roots of an upper tooth, damage to teeth on either side of the tooth being extracted, a dry socket, and prolonged numbness from the injection. Some side effects of extractions include post-operative bleeding and pain. The teeth on either side of the extraction site can drift into the new space if nothing is done to replace the missing tooth. The tooth on the lower arch that bites against the tooth being removed can drift upward as well. It is important to go over these things with your dentist, so you have a plan to replace the missing tooth and avoid complications in the future.

You should discuss all possible side effects with your surgeon before any procedure. There are too many variables for a simple answer here.

Adjacent and opposing teeth may shift or move as a result of missing teeth following an extraction. It will not occur immediately but will likely happen with some exceptions. This can have an effect on function or appearance as well. Saving a tooth or replacement will usually prevent this.

Yes you need to do what they say because they want you to get to where you want with your oral Care.