Tooth Extraction Cost in Toronto: Simple vs Surgical
Clinically reviewed by Dr. Abinaash Kaur, DDS, RCDSO, on 2026-10-19. Dr. Kaur is a general dentist in Toronto (Bloor West Village) registered with the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario.
The 2026 Ontario fee guide lists a simple tooth extraction at $218, as publicly reported in my 2026 Toronto dental price roundup. A surgical extraction costs more, and sedation, X-rays and whatever replaces the tooth can be separate lines on the bill.
That $218 is a ballpark, not a quote. The full guide is members-only, so the public only sees its figures second-hand (Ontario Dental Association), and your real number comes after an exam and an X-ray.
I've practised in Bloor West Village for about 25 years, and "what will this cost, start to finish?" is a fair question to ask before any extraction.
If a tooth broke tonight and you're in pain, start with my emergency dentist guide and come back to the money part tomorrow.
Simple or surgical: what decides which one you get?
The price depends less on which tooth it is than on how the tooth has to come out.
A simple extraction is for a tooth that has fully come through the gum. It's loosened and lifted out in one piece. A surgical extraction means opening the gum, sometimes removing a little bone, or cutting the tooth into sections so it comes out in parts.
Canadian dental billing sorts extractions the same way. The City of Toronto's list of procedure codes separates an "uncomplicated" erupted tooth (one that has come through the gum), a "complicated" one that needs a surgical approach, impacted teeth (stuck under the gum or in bone) graded by what covers them, and leftover roots (City of Toronto).
So why can one tooth be quoted two ways? A tooth that's broken off at the gum line can't be gripped and lifted, so it often moves into the surgical column once we see the X-ray.
Simple extractions are done with freezing, and complex impactions may go to an oral surgeon. The CDA notes that your dentist may do the oral surgery or refer you to an oral surgeon (Canadian Dental Association).
Wisdom teeth are their own case: they're often referred to an oral surgeon and commonly removed under IV sedation (Ontario Dental Association), and my guide to having them out covers them in full. For context, in my 2026 price roundup Toronto practices publish $200 to $400 per wisdom tooth for a simple removal and $400 to $900 for a surgical or impacted one, taken from their own websites (not guide figures).
Why does one office quote more than another for the same tooth?
Costs vary from dentist to dentist. The Ontario Dental Association says fees are shaped by labour, materials and overhead, and its fee guide is a reference, not a price list (Ontario Dental Association).
In its own words, the guide "is intended only as a reference for dentists so they can determine fees that are fair and reasonable for patients and dentists" (Ontario Dental Association).
Ontario's regulator adds two rules you can lean on. Dentists must tell you if they plan to charge above the guide, and an estimate can be a range with a low and a high cost (Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario). Specialists such as oral surgeons have extra training, so their fees may be higher (Ontario Dental Association).
Here's what moves an extraction bill:
- The approach. Surgical costs more than simple.
- Sedation. IV sedation or a general anaesthetic adds a few hundred to around a thousand dollars on top of the extraction fee, per the observed Toronto ranges in my price roundup.
- X-rays. Imaging can be a separate line.
- A bone graft. If an implant is the plan, a graft may be needed after the extraction (Ontario Dental Association).
- The replacement. A bridge, implant or partial denture is a separate decision, and it can be a separate bill.
Can the tooth be saved instead?
Sometimes, yes. The ODA's rule of thumb: a root canal is only an option if there's enough tooth left to rebuild, and otherwise the tooth should come out (Ontario Dental Association).
Keeping a tooth helps keep your other teeth from drifting out of line, and it avoids having to replace it with something artificial, like an implant (Ontario Dental Association). One paper proposing a decision chart for keeping or pulling a tooth put it bluntly: "Inadequate indication for tooth extraction has resulted in the sacrifice of many sound savable teeth" (PubMed).
What about a tooth with an abscess (a pocket of infection)? Antibiotics on their own don't fix it.
The CDA says a root canal or an extraction, along with draining the abscess, is what removes the infected tissue, and antibiotics add nothing unless there are signs like fever or spreading infection (Canadian Dental Association). The ODA's version: antibiotics only if there's fever or swelling on the outside of the face (Ontario Dental Association).
I lay out the save-or-pull trade-off, cost included, in my root canal cost guide. Read that one first if you're on the fence.
What does it feel like, and how long does healing take?
Have no fear!
With freezing, you'll feel a little pinch, then pressure and rocking while the tooth comes out. Pressure is normal. Sharp pain isn't, and if you feel it, you raise a hand and I stop and add more freezing. Local freezing alone covers most single extractions, and laughing gas or a sedative pill can take the edge off if you're nervous.
Once the freezing wears off, some pain is normal. The CDA says you might have the most pain in the first 24 to 48 hours, with soreness that can last 3 to 5 days. Expect bleeding for the first hour or two and some oozing for up to 24 hours (Canadian Dental Association).
Swelling can show up in the first day and last 5 to 7 days, bruising can last up to 10 days, and your jaw may be stiff for 7 to 10 days (Canadian Dental Association).
A few rules from the same CDA page:
- Don't rinse for the first 24 hours. After a full day, rinse gently with warm water, and your dentist may suggest adding 1/2 teaspoon of salt to a cup. Do it 4 or 5 times a day for 3 or 4 days (Canadian Dental Association).
- Skip alcohol and tobacco for 2 weeks. They make it harder for blood to clot and easier for infection to start (Canadian Dental Association).
- Tell us about your medicines and supplements. That means any prescription medicines or herbal supplements you're taking (Canadian Dental Association).
The Journal of the Canadian Dental Association adds a timing rule: pain that starts 3 to 4 days after an extraction should be checked for dry socket or infection (JCDA). Dry socket happens when the blood clot comes loose or dissolves too early and the bone and nerves underneath are exposed (JCDA). My day-by-day recovery guide covers it in detail.
The soreness fades in days. The bone takes much longer. A paper on impacted lower wisdom tooth sockets states that the bony hole takes 7 months to 1 year to fill in with bone (PubMed). That's a wisdom tooth figure, so treat it as months, not weeks.
What happens to the gap if you do nothing?
Teeth lean on each other.
After a tooth (other than a wisdom tooth) comes out, the teeth around the space may start to shift, or over-erupt (grow up or down into the gap) to make up for the missing one. The ODA notes that changes in tooth position can make teeth harder to clean and may raise the risk of gum disease and cavities (Ontario Dental Association).
The jawbone changes too. The ridge (the strip of bone that held the tooth) gets narrower and shorter once the root is gone.
A review of human re-entry studies found "horizontal bone loss of 29-63% and vertical bone loss of 11-22% after 6 months following tooth extraction," with the fastest changes in the first 3 to 6 months and slower changes after that (PubMed).
In millimetres, a meta-analysis measured an average loss of ridge width of 2.73 mm at front and premolar sites, assessed clinically (2.54 mm on X-ray for the same front and premolar sites), and 3.61 mm at molar sites, assessed on X-rays (PubMed). The CDA notes that bones and gums can keep shrinking through a healing period of up to 6 months, which is why dentures placed right after extractions may need relining (Canadian Dental Association).
None of that shifting or shrinking happens overnight. That slow change is why the gap is worth planning for before the tooth comes out, not after.
Bridge, implant, partial or nothing: how do we talk it through?
The ODA recommends replacing a pulled tooth (other than a wisdom tooth), and lists bridges, implants and dentures as the options (Ontario Dental Association). Its reasons: proper chewing, keeping other teeth from shifting, keeping the jawbone level at the site, and appearance (Ontario Dental Association).
- A bridge. Your dentist files down the two healthy teeth next to the gap to hold it, and a bridge should generally last about 10 years, or perhaps longer (Canadian Dental Association).
- An implant. It avoids filing down the neighbours, and it needs enough bone. If the jaw has shrunk, a bone graft may build it back up (Canadian Dental Association).
- A partial denture. A removable option that clips to the teeth you have.
- Leaving the space. Some people choose it for a back tooth. It's your call, made with the shifting above in mind.
What will insurance, the CDCP or OHIP pay?
The Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP) covers the removal of teeth and roots under oral surgery (Canada.ca). It pays from its own fee grid, the CDCP established fees. Here's the grid for Ontario general dentists, for services from April 1, 2026:
| What's being removed | CDCP established fee, Ontario 2026 |
|---|---|
| Erupted tooth, uncomplicated, single tooth | $180.75 |
| Each additional tooth, same quadrant | $131.77 |
| Erupted tooth, surgical approach | $260.00 |
| Impacted tooth, covered by soft tissue | $261.78 |
| Impacted tooth, covered by bone | $392.66 |
| Impacted tooth, bone removal and sectioning | $524.44 |
| Leftover root, erupted, first tooth in arch | $114.94 |
That table is the CDCP's fee grid. It isn't our price list, and it isn't what any dentist's own fee has to be.
Your share depends on adjusted family net income: no co-payment under $70,000, 40% between $70,000 and $79,999, and 60% between $80,000 and $89,999 (Canada.ca). The same page warns that CDCP fees may not match what providers charge, so you may pay the difference, and tells you to ask about uncovered costs first (Canada.ca).
On sedation, CDCP covers laughing gas and oral sedation, while other conscious sedation, deep sedation and general anesthesia need preauthorization (approval before treatment) (Canada.ca). Implants and ridge augmentation are exclusions (Canada.ca CDCP Dental Benefits Guide). Ask your dentist which of your codes need preauthorization.
OHIP is a different story. It doesn't cover dental services in a dentist's office, but it does cover some in-hospital dental surgery, including medically necessary tooth removal with prior approval from OHIP (Ontario.ca). My OHIP dental guide has the details.
Two Ontario programs also cover extractions. The Ontario Seniors Dental Care Program, for low-income seniors 65 and up, covers removing teeth and anesthesia (Ontario.ca). Healthy Smiles Ontario, for low-income kids 17 and under, covers tooth extraction (Ontario.ca).
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How much does it cost to pull a tooth in Ontario? The 2026 Ontario fee guide lists a simple extraction at $218, as publicly reported in our 2026 price roundup, and surgical extractions cost more. The CDCP sets fees that run from $180.75 for an uncomplicated erupted tooth to $524.44 for an impacted tooth needing bone removal and sectioning, with a few codes above and below that range (Sun Life CDCP grid). Those are the plan's fees, not what every office charges. A real estimate needs an exam (Ontario Dental Association).
Q: What's the difference between a simple and a surgical extraction? A simple extraction lifts out a tooth that has fully come through the gum. A surgical one needs the gum opened, and sometimes bone removed or the tooth cut into sections. Canadian billing codes treat the two separately (City of Toronto).
Q: Does OHIP cover tooth extraction? Not in a dentist's office. OHIP covers some in-hospital dental surgery, including medically necessary tooth removal, and prior approval by OHIP is required (Ontario.ca).
Q: Does the CDCP cover extractions? Yes, if you're enrolled in the CDCP. It covers the removal of teeth and roots, with a co-payment of 0%, 40% or 60% of its established fees depending on adjusted family net income. Your dentist's fee may be higher than the CDCP fee, so ask about uncovered costs first (Canada.ca).
Q: How long after an extraction can I get an implant? Your dentist sets the timing at the implant consult, based on your bone. The ridge changes fastest in the first 3 to 6 months (PubMed), and a bone graft may be needed first (Ontario Dental Association).
Q: Do I have to replace a pulled back tooth? For any tooth other than a wisdom tooth, the ODA recommends it, for proper chewing, to keep other teeth from shifting, to keep the jawbone level, and for appearance (Ontario Dental Association). The choice is still yours.
Reviewed by Dr. Abinaash Kaur, B.Sc., DDS (University of Toronto Faculty of Dentistry), who has practised general and family dentistry in Bloor West Village for about 25 years. This article is general information, not a diagnosis or a quote. Prices shown are published reference figures and the CDCP's own fee grid, not our fees.
Got a tooth that's broken, loose or keeping you up at night? We're at 750 Annette Street in Bloor West Village, serving the Junction, High Park, and Baby Point. Book an exam with The Village Dentist and we'll tell you whether it can be saved, how it would come out, and what it would cost.
