Wisdom Teeth Removal

Wisdom teeth – we are all born with them. Some of us still have them, while others have had them removed. And no, you don’t lose any wisdom when they are extracted. These teeth are otherwise known as your third molars – the last four teeth to appear in your mouth. They only come out when someone is entering in to adolescence, between the ages of 17 and 25.

Reasons for Extraction

Why, though, is it sometimes necessary for these teeth to be taken out? There is more than one reason; many things could potentially go wrong. The second molars, which lie next to the wisdom teeth in the mouth, could be negatively affected. If the wisdom teeth are damaging the teeth around them then it could cause periodontal disease, tooth decay or even bone loss.

In some cases, people have picked up an infection from food and bacteria getting trapped under the wisdom teeth. This causes pain and danger to the patient and extraction can be the only solution. Also, if the wisdom tooth starts coming out at an awkward angle then your local Fairview dentist may decide, depending on the severity, whether it needs to be extracted or not.

The Surgery

First you dentist will perform a thorough examination of your teeth – this will ensure that it is necessary to continue with the procedure and it will give them insight as to how to go about it. If the dentist decides after examining your teeth with panoramic or digital x-rays that the procedure will be your best option, you need not fear. This is a common and safe surgery that many people have undergone. Both the dentist and the oral surgeon can perform this procedure so don’t stress if your surgeon is too busy for you. The options for anaesthetic are not limited to your general anaesthetic.

Obviously, whatever you are given will be best suited for your situation. Local anaesthetic is mostly a mostly painless medicine when administered alongside some numbing cream and it numbs the feeling in specific areas. If your dentist wants to rather put you to sleep during the procedure, then sedation anaesthesia will be used. This will leave you with a painless surgery that you will hardly remember.

In order to remove this tooth, an incision needs to be made in the gum and bone so that it is exposed. Any obstructions will be removed so that there is complete access to the tooth. After the tooth is extracted the site is cleaned properly and stitched closed which increases the healing process. Bleeding is controlled with gauze and the patient’s healing process begins.

Now that you have more insight to the extraction of wisdom teeth, this procedure most probably is a lot less daunting. The recovery process is even less daunting if you follow your dentist’s instructions. The removal of wisdom teeth is often a necessary procedure and not something that one needs to shy away from.