I've had 3 (maybe 4) teeth pulled, and I still have my wisdom (but those are going soonsih).
One of them I had removed was filed down and had a crown, but a cavity eventually forced the removal of it. If you have a good dentist then there's almost no pain at all when removing (just pressure). In fact, the care you have to take a couple days after is a lot worse than getting it pulled.
For wisdom teeth I'm told you're put under so you don't feel anything at all during it.
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Chrono1219