Over the last two weeks, after a piece of filling dropped out, my tooth has become increasingly painful – coming and going in waves. Being dental phobic – I approached my dentist (after six years) He took a quick look at my tooth and said – basically, I had two choices – root canal work or extraction. He seemed hurried and said I had only ten minutes to make my mind up (I had taken a cancellation appointment). He said root canal work had no guarantee on this tooth, and extraction may not be straightforward. He suggested referal to a local NHS specialist clinic that offered sedation. However he said I might have to wait several weeks for an appointment. I felt, frankly, he was in a hurry to get rid of me. I am not keen on sedation – don’t like feeling out of control in any way. In the meantime I have approached another private dentist who – according to their website – offer a very supportive service to people like myself. I am on antibiotics (which I had to ask my original dentist for) and he has applied some temporary filling to protect the tooth a bit from eating and drinking etc. I am booked in to see the new dentist next week – my question is – typically how long does a tooth extraction take? Ive read and heard about a few horror stories. My husband had a tooth extraction a few weeks ago and has tried to reassure me by saying ‘ it was done in moments’ and then the pain is gone. Are most extractions straightforward and quick? The tooth that needs to come out is on the bottom at the side – the third tooth from the left hand front one (you can tell I’m not a dentist!)