preparing for unpredictable dental injuries

Posted on: 28 August 2019

The wisdom teeth are the last set of teeth that come in for humans. They are located in the very back top and bottom of the gums. Normally, these teeth appear between the ages of 17 and 25. Many people choose to have these teeth extracted for various reasons. They may come in impacted where they are not completely through the gumline, grow in crooked which can affect the positioning of the rest of the teeth, or take up too much space in the mouth and cause pain and discomfort. If you opt to have your wisdom teeth removed, this is what you can expect to happen during the process.

Exams

Before the wisdom teeth are removed, a complete exam must be performed to determine exactly where and how these teeth are positioned in the mouth. It is not uncommon for the patient to experience substantial pain when the wisdom teeth are first coming in through the gums. This is a clear sign that an exam needs to be done to determine if they need to be removed. 

The exam normally includes both a visual exam by the dentist and an X-ray of the mouth to produce a picture of the location of the wisdom teeth. This also shows the dentist how much room in the gums the patient has for the wisdom teeth when they come through. If it is evident that these teeth will cause overcrowding, an appointment will be made to have them removed.

Sedation 

To prevent the patient from having severe pain during the procedure, some type of sedation will be used right before removal begins. If only one wisdom tooth is being removed, a local anesthetic may be used to numb the gums and tissue where the tooth is located. This is done by using a needle to inject a numbing agent into the gums.

However, if the procedure is going to take more time or involve removing all of the wisdom teeth, the dentist may choose to use IV sedation or a general anesthetic in which the patient will be asleep throughout the procedure.

Removal

Once the gums are numbed or the patient is sedated, removal of the wisdom teeth is usually a fairly simple process. The dentist or oral surgeon uses a special dental tool to remove the wisdom teeth. This instrument is used to loosen the gum tissue around the teeth so they can be popped out and removed with ease.

Recovery time after wisdom teeth removal can vary depending on the patient and the number of teeth that were removed. The gums will be packed with gauze after the teeth are removed, and this gauze should remain in place until at least the next day after removal. This gives the gums enough time for the blood to clot so that excessive bleeding will not occur. The patient should also take it easy for a few days and avoid eating any hard, crunchy foods that may cause unnecessary pain and bleeding of the gums. 

For more information about wisdom teeth removal, contact an oral surgeon in your area.