Wisdom Tooth Extraction

Wisdom teeth typically erupt at the very back of the mouth during the late teens or early adulthood. For most people, however, there isn’t enough room in the mouth for the wisdom teeth to take their positions. At New Orchard Dentistry, we perform careful, thorough wisdom tooth extraction procedures to save our patients from pain, infection, and misalignment that can come from the eruption of wisdom teeth. wisdom teeth removal

Complications Caused by Wisdom Teeth

If you get braces as a teenager, your dentist and orthodontist will work together to determine if and when your wisdom teeth need to be removed. The last thing anyone wants after all that effort to straighten your teeth is for four extra teeth to pop up and wreck your alignment and bite.

Even if you don’t get braces as a teen, if you see your New Orchard dentist every six months as you should, he will keep an eye on the development of your wisdom teeth and recommend extraction before those third molars have the chance to cause any oral health problems.

Unfortunately, some patients opt out of preventive wisdom tooth extractions. As a result, they can end up with impacted wisdom teeth that can affect their oral health in multiple ways, causing:

Severe pain
Crowding
Damaged teeth
Infection
Tooth decay
Bite misalignment
Jaw damage

What You Need to Know About Wisdom Teeth

It’s important to understand how wisdom teeth grow, when they show up, and the damage they can do to your mouth so you can do everything possible to prevent a wisdom tooth emergency. Here are some facts to know:

Impacted wisdom teeth: Impacted wisdom teeth do not always break through the gums.
Partially impacted wisdom teeth: If a wisdom tooth does erupt, it is called a partially impacted wisdom tooth.
Eruption of wisdom teeth: Wisdom teeth that break through the gums often do so incorrectly. There isn’t enough room in the mouth for these teeth, so they erupt at an angle and cause extreme pain.
Replacement of wisdom teeth: Wisdom teeth are the only teeth that, when extracted, do not need to be replaced.
Symptoms of impacted wisdom teeth: Swelling, stiffness, jaw pain, infection, and sensitivity are all signs of an impacted or partially impacted wisdom tooth.

If you are experiencing any sudden pain, discomfort, or irritation in your mouth, contact your dentist right away. These symptoms could be an indication that your wisdom teeth are starting to make some moves and need to be extracted quickly before they can cause damage.

How Wisdom Tooth Extraction Is Done

Typically, wisdom tooth extraction is done when the patient is under anesthesia. The procedure can take place at the dentist’s office, a hospital, or an outpatient clinic, depending on the complexity of the case and a patient’s level of anxiety about the procedure. Here is how the procedure goes:

Incision: An incision made in the gums exposes tooth and bone.
Removal: The bone is removed, in pieces if necessary, as well as the tooth root.
Cleaning: The socket is cleaned of any debris.
Stitching: Stitches are put in place to close the wound.
Healing: Immediately after surgery, gauze is used to control bleeding and help with the formation of a blood clot.

You must have someone escort you home from your appointment. Patients who undergo wisdom tooth extraction are sent home with detailed instructions about caring for the wound site, pain management, eating, cleaning, healing, and when it’s safe to resume normal activity.