Have you been advised for wisdom tooth removal? Worried about the procedure? We have you covered!
The four wisdom teeth, located at the back, are the last molars. These teeth generally appear between the ages of 17 – 25. Did you know – some people never develop wisdom teeth?
Wisdom teeth are not always problematic, for some, these molars erupt normally — just as their other teeth did and cause no problems.
When they erupt without any problems, healthy wisdom teeth can be a valuable asset to your mouth.
But sometimes, the wisdom tooth can be crooked or impacted or lying perpendicular to the tooth’s roots. Sometimes, even if they erupted properly, a cavity can form on the innermost side of the tooth.
If a wisdom tooth is impacted or in other words doesn’t have room to grow – there will be pain and discomfort, which will eventually result in the development of infection or other dental problems. In most of these cases, you will be advised to extract or pull out the wisdom tooth. Wisdom tooth extraction will be done by a dentist or an oral surgeon.
Why extract an impacted wisdom tooth?
While an impacted wisdom tooth may cause pain and infection, an impacted wisdom tooth may also:
-grow at an angle toward the next tooth (second molar).
– grow at an angle toward the back of the mouth.
– grow at a right angle to the other teeth, as if the wisdom tooth is “lying down” within the jawbone.
– grow straight up and down like other teeth, but they’re stuck inside the jawbone.
– allow for food to be stuck or trapped behind the wisdom tooth.
– damage a nearby tooth or surrounding bone.
– cause an infection or gum disease (periodontal disease).
– cause tooth decay in a partially erupted wisdom tooth.
– cause a development of a cyst near the wisdom tooth
What happens during wisdom tooth removal?
The entire wisdom tooth removal procedure might take up to an hour. In rare cases, it might go beyond the stated time depending on the complexity.
A brief overview on the wisdom tooth removal procedure –
Numbing: Local anesthesia is administered to numb the wisdom teeth and their surrounding tissues with a local anesthetic.
Bone and Tissue removal: Any gum tissue that covers the area where the wisdom tooth is present is removed to access the tooth. A wisdom tooth that is impacted may be completely or partially covered by bone. If this is the case, the dentist needs to remove the bone covering the tooth. Once the impacted wisdom tooth appears, a variety of surgical instruments are utilized to carefully release it from any connective tissue in the socket. To make removal easier, the dentist may split the tooth into parts for easier retrieval.
Tooth removal: Once the wisdom tooth is loose, the surgeon will use surgical instruments specially designed to fully remove the tooth.
After the Surgery
Once the procedure is complete, the dentist will give you gauze to bite down on in order to stop the bleeding.
Once you are all stable, you will be allowed to go home. The doctor will inform you of the guidelines you need to follow for aftercare.
What does the wisdom tooth recovery phase look like?
The dentist will advise you the following for the first 24 hours after the wisdom tooth surgery:
*Do not use mouthwash.
*No alcohol consumption.
*Avoid smoking during the healing process.
*Avoid rinsing your mouth vigorously.
*No spitting.
*No sucking through a straw
*No consumption of hot and spicy foods for the next few days. You will be advised to stick with cold food and drinks – ice cream will become your best friend for a day or two.
*Avoid eating and brushing your teeth next to the extraction site.
*Use a soft manual toothbrush.
There may be some pain, bleeding, and swelling for a few days post-surgery. You may not be able to open your mouth completely, so try to consume food that is soft and easier to chew.
While you are healing, make sure to keep a watch on the below symptoms and contact your dentist immediately –
*Severe pain
*Pain in the socket radiating down the neck or up the head.
*Visible bone in the extraction site.
*Foul smell or a bad taste in the mouth.
*Excessive bleeding
For any further queries, reach out to Signature Smilez Family Dental !