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Laurence Bohan
Content Writer
Laurence Bohan
Content Writer

Laurence is a copywriter and trained journalist. His passion is creating insightful and educational content for dental professionals of every level. Outside of work, he enjoys watching sport, quizzing and spending time with his family.

No patient enjoys the feeling of having a tooth removed at the dentist, but some quite like taking it back home with them. Though some dentists will happily part with the goods should a patient request this, others are more cautious. Whether it’s wise or not to return extracted teeth continues to split opinion. Here’s what’s important to know.

How To Proceed With Extracted Teeth

Once a tooth has been removed from a patient’s mouth, where it goes next can be one of four places:

  • If free of amalgam, they can be disposed of in the sharps bin for future incineration
  • If amalgam is present, they can go to amalgam waste for future metal recovery
  • Kept for dental students
  • Given back to the patient

Should a tooth be kept for educational purposes, it should be cleaned and heat-sterilised to allow for safe handling and placed in container to prevent leaking during transport or storage. Extracted teeth containing amalgam are not recommended for heat-sterilisation due to the possible dangers of mercury exposure.

Some dental schools, such as King's College Dental Institute, can provide storage pots, a post-paid jiffy bag and a document covering the Human Tissue Act for extracted teeth sent its way.

Conclusion

According to HTM 07-01 guidelines, dentists are fully within their rights to give patients the option of taking an extract tooth home. However, this remains guidance only and there is currently no law in place that forces a dentist to give an extracted tooth back to a patient should they ask for it. The final decision is at the discretion of the clinician in accordance with any practice policy related to extractions.

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