Wisdom teeth extractions

Wisdom teeth extractions

Wisdom teeth extractions

Wisdom Teeth Extractions

Wisdom teeth are normally the last teeth to erupt in our lifetime. They often do not appear until our late teens or early twenties. Typically, wisdom teeth erupt in each of the back four corners of our mouths.

As all our other adult teeth are likely to already be firmly in place, sometimes there isn’t enough room for the wisdom teeth to come through properly. If this happens, one or more wisdom teeth may come through at an angle, or partially or fully twisted. Sometimes they simply can’t break through at all. Both of these scenarios are known as having an ‘impacted wisdom tooth’.

What happens if a wisdom tooth becomes impacted?

If a wisdom tooth becomes impacted, it can cause a variety of problems for the patient including mild to severe pain, and infection in the gum around the tooth.

It could also force the other adult teeth to shift position, causing them to become misaligned. This in turn, can create further dental problems as gaps between teeth can become traps for food debris and bacteria, causing decay and gum disease.

To prevent the problems associated with impacted wisdom teeth, it may be necessary to have one, or all of your wisdom teeth surgically extracted.

Wisdom teeth extraction

Many patients find that if one wisdom tooth becomes impacted, there is a high risk that they will experience problems with their others. Therefore, most dental surgeons recommend removing all wisdom teeth in one procedure, rather than making multiple trips each time impaction becomes an issue.

Multiple tooth extraction may sound frightening, but improvements in anesthesia, and the tools used to perform the procedure mean that it is a straightforward and relatively painless process.

Firstly, your mouth will be numbed using a quick injection using an ultra-fine needle. This should feel no more painful than a momentary scratch and within a few minutes of receiving the anesthetic, your mouth should be completely numb. Although you will feel varying levels of pressure during the procedure, you shouldn’t feel any pain.

To free your wisdom teeth, it will almost certainly be necessary to widen the socket in which each tooth sits. This is done using a combination of special tools and a technique which rocks the tooth back and forth. Once the socket is sufficiently widened, the tooth can hopefully be grasped and removed in one piece.

Occasionally, it may be necessary to make an incision into the gum to free your impacted wisdom tooth. If this is required, the wound will be cleaned and closed with sutures.

Caring for your teeth after wisdom tooth extraction

Immediately after your anesthetic has worn off, your mouth may feel sore. Pain medication will almost certainly be required to make you feel comfortable again.

Swelling both inside and outside the mouth is also completely normal and to be expected. This will begin to subside within a day or two of your procedure, but could last for around a week.

Your surgeon will provide you with specific instructions for the best way to care for your mouth in the days after your surgery. This will likely include following a liquid or soft diet during the first 48 to 72 hours, and you should not smoke or consume alcohol.

If you are given antibiotics by your surgeon, ensure that you take them exactly as directed for the duration of the course.

Our team of knowledgeable and experienced surgeons regularly delivers outstanding quality extraction services and care to patients in the vicinity of our offices, which are located in North Syracuse, Fayetteville and Oneida, NY. To find out more about wisdom tooth extraction, or to book an appointment, please get in touch with our team.