Wisdom Tooth Extraction

Having your wisdom teeth removed is very common. Most patients are between the ages of 17 and 25 when their wisdom teeth come in and they are told they need to be removed. Your General Dentist will evaluate your teeth as they begin to develop and if they decide that you should have them extracted, they will refer you to an Oral Surgeon or Periodontist.

This is an outpatient procedure and will take 7 to 10 days for recovery.

Why do wisdom teeth need to be extracted?

Most people simply do not have space in their mouths to allow for four extra molars to fully erupt without causing some major crowding elsewhere. Aside from overcrowding, other reasons you may be advised to have your wisdom teeth removed include:

• impending orthodontic treatment
• to ensure the health of your entire mouth; wisdom teeth are difficult to reach for proper flossing and brushing and can develop decay Which can spread to the rest of your mouth
• to relieve pain which can be caused by wisdom teeth coming in at an angle and pressing against their neighboring teeth

Before Wisdom Tooth Extraction Surgery

After you’ve had your initial consultation with your oral surgeon, you hopefully have all of your questions answered. Once it has been determined that you do need to have your wisdom teeth removed, make sure that you are able to schedule enough time off of school or work so that you can fully recover before returning to normal routines. You will also want to take into consideration the anesthesia that will be used and decide if you need someone to drive you home after surgery.

Types of anesthesia that may be used include:

• Local anesthesia is simply Novacaine injections at the extraction sites. You may also be able to use nitrous oxide if the office offers it. With the local anesthesia or nitrous, you would be awake during the surgery but not feel anything.
• General anesthesia puts you completely to sleep and might be beneficial for patients with impacted wisdom teeth. Your doctor will have you fully recovered from the anesthesia before they allow you to go home. This option would require assistance in getting home.
• Intravenous anesthesia is somewhat of a “twilight” state where you are awake but drowsy, you will also have numbing injections at the extraction sites

On the day of surgery

Your overall surgery time will last about 45 minutes, which can vary according to how many teeth are being extracted. Depending on the level of eruption, your Oral Surgeon may need to cut into your gum tissue or even your jaw bone to extract a tooth. Teeth that have not erupted through the gums are called impacted teeth and can cause issues when left untreated.

Once all of your teeth are out, you’ll be stitched up and given time to recover before you are on your way! Most doctors use self-dissolving sutures so that you do not have to return to have them removed. You will probably be given some gauze or cotton rolls to gently bite down on until bleeding has stopped completely.

Your surgeon’s office will give you post-operative instructions to follow until you are fully healed. If you are prescribed an antibiotic or pain medication, it is important to take them as directed. You will also likely be given a list of foods to avoid and unless you would like a repeat visit to your doctor’s office, it is important to avoid those foods!

If you feel that you are experiencing an abnormal amount of pain or discomfort or swelling, give your oral surgeons office a call so they can get you in for an evaluation to make sure that everything is healing nicely.

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