I had mine extracted years ago...my case was the latter--very difficult to clean, even for a trained dental hygienist...<p>The process was not at all pleasant...I refused general anesthetic, so had lidocaine and a couple of minutes of nitrous oxide...<p>By the time the dentist was finished we were both in a noticeable sweat...<p>I was put in mind of a cartoon I once saw of a dentist in the late 1800s with his foot up on the patient&#x27;s chest, trying for all the leverage he could get...<p>I developed a &quot;dry socket&quot; (clot broke loose) and walked the floor all night, in intense pain, waiting to get an appointment the following morning...he simply packed the hole with a piece of gauze soaked in oil of cloves...the relief was immediate...<p>Since that experience I&#x27;ve kept a bottle of oil of cloves in my medicine chest...the stuff is magic, and sold over the counter....I&#x27;ve used it for minor toothaches over the years with great results (until I could see a dentist)...can&#x27;t recommend it highly enough...