The extraction of third molars, generally labeled as wisdom teeth, is amongst the most common surgical dental procedures carried out. The last teeth to come through and grow at the back of the gums, the wisdom teeth are four in total, one in each corner. They generally grow through gums during the late teens or early twenties and by common sense you should understand that the other 28 adult teeth are in place, so there isn’t any room left in the mouth for the wisdom teeth to grow appropriately. Due to the need for space, wisdom teeth can develop at an angle or get stuck and only partially develop. Wisdom teeth grown in these forms are recognized as impacted.
The wisdom teeth extraction isn’t necessary if the teeth are impacted but do not cause any problems. That is because there hasn’t been any benefit to doing this, and it always carries the risk of complications. Sporadically, wisdom teeth that haven’t fully broken through the gums or have become impacted, can generate dental problems. Food and bacteria can get stuck around the edge of the wisdom teeth, resulting in the build-up plaque, which can lead to:
In most instances, these issues can be handled by the use of antibiotics and antiseptic mouthwash. Wisdom teeth removal is usually the last alternative to other treatments not working.
Your dentist has the option to either remove the wisdom teeth him/herself or refer you to a specialist surgeon for further hospital treatment. Ahead of the operation, you might be inquired to sign a consent form and the procedure will be explained to you in detail.
To numb the area surrounding the tooth you will usually be administered a local anesthetic. Before the tooth is removed, you will feel some pressure, as the tooth socket needs to be widened by the dentist or oral surgeon, using the rocking back and forth.
Oftentimes, a small cut or incision is needed, and the tooth may necessitate being cut into smaller pieces before being extracted. To remove a wisdom tooth it takes anything from a few minutes up to twenty minutes, sometimes even more.
Swelling and discomfort might be present, both inside and outside your mouth, after the wisdom teeth have been removed. Some mild bruising is also visible, now and then. This is much worse the very first three days, but it can go as far as two weeks.
As with every other surgery, there are complications related to the extraction of a wisdom tooth. These involve infection or delayed healing, both of which are most probable when smoking during your recovery. Another possible risk is a “dry socket”, which is a flat, aching feeling in your gum or jaw, and oftentimes a bad smell or taste that comes from the vacant tooth socket. A dry socket is more possible if the after-care instructions given by the dentist aren’t followed correctly.
There also exists the risk of nerve damage, which can be the reason for the tingling or numb feeling in your tongue, lower lip, chin, teeth, and gums. This is generally temporary, but in very rare cases it can be permanent.
Wisdom tooth extraction can be executed by a dentist or a specialist surgeon working in a hospital. If there is a recommendation for wisdom teeth removal by the dentist, an X-ray of your mouth will be taken to help establish who should carry out the procedure.
Before the wisdom teeth removal, an injection of local anesthetic will be administered to numb the tooth and the surrounding area. To help you relax more, or having trouble with the anxiety about the procedure, you might also be administered a sedative by your dentist or surgeon. This is normally injected into your arm.
A general anesthetic isn’t normally needed for wisdom tooth removal. It is used every so often when the procedure is conducted in the hospital. Nonetheless, in this instance, you should be capable of going home on the same day as the procedure.
Conditioned upon the coming through the gum of the tooth, a small incision will be made in the gum for accessibility. Moreover, a small piece of the bone covering the tooth may need to be removed and the tooth may be split into smaller pieces to make the removal through the opening easier. Needless to say, if the tooth has broken through the gum, there is a small need, if not none to make an incision.
Before the tooth removal, you will be feeling some pressure seeing as your dentist or oral surgeon needs to expand the tooth socket by rocking the tooth back and forth before taking it out.
Nevertheless, during the procedure itself, you shouldn’t feel any pain since the area is numbed. The supplementary anesthetic can be administered by your dentist or oral surgeon if you do feel pain during the extraction.
The time that it takes for the tooth removal is variable. Easy procedures can only take a few minutes, but if it is a more complex one, it can take longer than 20 minutes.
Given that an incision has been made, dissolving stitches are used to suture the gum. Your dentist or oral surgeon will let you know about the time needed for the stitches to dissolve. Generally, they take from seven to ten days.
Your oral health care provider might place a gauze bandage over the area of the extraction and seek your help to keep pressure on it by biting your jaws together, for up to an hour. This gives a blood clot the “permission” to form in the vacant tooth socket. You should not try to dislodge the blood clots as they are a normal part of the healing process. If there is an ongoing infection, antibiotics may be prescribed.
For the next 24 hours following the wisdom tooth removal (extraction), you should abstain from:
The rehabilitation process after having removed your wisdom tooth or teeth can take up to two weeks.
Throughout this time, you might have:
Keep in mind to report any excess bleeding, severe pain, or any sort of other bizarre symptom to your oral surgeon or your dentist, as soon as possible.
To lessen the pain and accelerate the recuperation, it can be instrumental to:
What is commonly known as wisdom tooth impaction and also the most common indication that the wisdom tooth needs to be removed is when the third molars grow out without completely emerging through the gums. As many of you may know, they can often grow at odd angles and emerge crooked, damaging the healthy adjacent teeth. Sometimes, impacted wisdom teeth can grow 180 degrees in the wrong direction into the jaw, resulting in jawbone cysts, oral infections, and gum disease. In some instances, impacted wisdom teeth cause enormous discomfort, while in others you might be completely oblivious to the impaction. An impacted wisdom tooth is generally the cause of many of the following symptoms and signs below.
Bacteria, plaque, and food getting underneath the gum tissue can always lead to gum inflammation. However, it should be noted that swollen or inflamed gums can also be a clear and very common sign that your wisdom teeth might be impacted or partially emerged. The tissue surrounding the teeth in the back will become swollen, red in color, and quite sensitive to touch. Gum tissue inflammation is amongst the most usual indications to get a wisdom teeth extraction as soon as feasible.
A stiff jaw is a clear sign that the wisdom teeth are exerting pressure on your jaw as they squeeze the healthy teeth. The stiffness and immobility can easily transform into the pain in the jaw as the wisdom teeth proceed on pressing against your other teeth. Give your dentist or oral surgeon a call for a wisdom tooth exam at the moment when you notice stiffness or discomfort in your jaw.
If you are experiencing difficulty opening your mouth or having pain in the back of your jaw, that is another case when your wisdom teeth may be impacted. Naturally, the jaw does not have the appropriate space for more than 28 teeth, which means that the wisdom teeth cannot emerge correctly unless they somehow disturb the healthy teeth. Thus, wisdom teeth appear oftentimes at extreme angles that impede the top and bottom teeth from meeting in the correct position.
If wisdom teeth are left untreated, sacs of fluid known as cysts develop in your oral tissue, gums, and jaw. In due course, cysts will result in rotted roots of adjacent teeth and damage to the jawbone. In certain instances, oral cysts can evolve into tumors and require jaw surgery and other more invasive treatments.
Pain or sensitivity near the back of your mouth when brushing is an obvious indication that you may be getting your wisdom teeth. Whenever you are brushing your teeth or eating a meal, do you feel that the teeth in the back of your mouth are extra sensitive to pressure and temperature? If you aren’t able to brush or chew without as much as flinching, it is time to take into account a wisdom tooth extraction, ahead of the issue getting worse.
Wisdom teeth not only mess up or obstruct healthy teeth, but they also wreck them, resulting in tooth decay. Overlooking the extraction of your wisdom teeth can become quite decisive to the rest of the healthy teeth as they are bit by bit, pushed out of place and exposed to harmful bacteria. If you decide to push aside or endure the sensitivity or pain in your mouth, you are claiming to become part of a world of pain and dental issues.
If you have felt all day a bad taste in your mouth, that is due to the wisdom teeth having caused decay to neighbor teeth, leaving you with a rotting tooth. Tooth rot and decay serve oftentimes as an allurement for wound-infecting bacteria, creating sulfur compounds that smell pretty bad but are also bad for your general health. A clear indication that your wisdom teeth need to be taken rid of is persistent bad breath.
You may not be aware of the affinity between your sinus floor and your upper jawbone near the back of your mouth. If permitted to develop, the roots of wisdom teeth can grow immensely along the jaw and damage the sinus floor. As a result, there might be complications such as frequent congestion, headaches, sinus pressure, or sinus pain. Moreover, if you decide to keep your wisdom teeth, these health issues and much more can arise at any time in the future.
Simply put, yes. The sooner, the better. Wisdom teeth are a source of trouble, and the longer you give the roots the time to develop, the more difficult it will be to extract the wisdom teeth. Don’t let the grass grow under your feet by waiting until you have pain or dental complications. Contact our office today to schedule an appointment and remove your wisdom teeth before them harming your oral health.
