What Happens to Pulled Teeth?

    Sometimes you will be allowed to keep it, however, policies vary. If you wish to keep your tooth, you must ask your dentist before it’s pulled and if the dentist agrees, the tooth will be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized o remove infectious materials.

    When teeth are pulled they are classified as regulated medical waste because they contain blood, tissue, and saliva. For this reason they must be handled and disposed of according to federal, state and local biohazard regulations rather than just throwing them in the trash. 

    If disposed of, the tooth is placed in a hazardous waste container and sent to a facility to be safely incinerated.If the tooth contains a metal filling (like silver amalgam), it cannot be incinerated because the heat would release toxic mercury fumes into the air. Instead, these teeth are sent to a specialized recycling facility where metals are safely extracted. 

    Also, occasionally dentists send extracted teeth to a dental school sostudents can practice procedures like root canals, crown preparations, and cavity fillings on real human teeth.