Wisdom Teeth

Wisdom teeth are the final set of permanent molars that erupt through the gums during adulthood. You might get your wisdom teeth in your late teens or twenties. When properly aligned, wisdom teeth act as a great asset but very often they are poorly aligned and need quick removal. Wisdom teeth in most of the cases don't have enough room to accommodate themselves. This leads to their horizontal alignment that damages the nerves, adjacent teeth, and the surrounding jawbone.

In many scenarios, wisdom teeth are impacted. They don't fully erupt through the gums and are enclosed beneath the soft tissues and the jawbone. This partial eruption creates an opening through the gums and allows bacteria to enter the gum tissue and cause infections. You should get your wisdom teeth removed because:

Wisdom teeth cause crowding in the mouth and lead to shifting and drifting of other teeth. This misaligns the bite.
Impacted teeth are hard to brush or floss and are more prone to decay and cavities.
A feeling of tightness and stiffness is experienced and jaw movement becomes difficult.
You may also experience pain, swelling, redness or abscess formation.

Removal of wisdom teeth should be done early when the roots have not fully formed and the surrounding bone is soft. Removing fully developed wisdom teeth is complicated and might damage the nerves.

What is the Procedure of Wisdom Teeth Removal?

Wisdom teeth removal is performed by an oral or maxillofacial surgeon. First, an X-ray is done to evaluate the alignment of your wisdom teeth. You may get your teeth removed in any of the following ways:

Non-surgical Extraction

A wisdom tooth that has completely emerged from the gums is extracted without a surgical procedure. Your doctor will numb the tooth and surrounding area using local anesthesia and a special tool will be used to loosen it. He will then rock the tooth back and forth to disconnect it from the surrounding tissues. When the tooth is loose enough, your doctor will uproot it using force.

Surgical Extraction

Impacted teeth are removed via surgery. After numbing your tooth with anesthesia your doctor will make an incision in the gums to reach the impacted tooth. He will remove the bone from around the tooth and divide the tooth into smaller parts. Dividing the tooth into sections prior to extraction prevents uneven and unpredicted breaking at a later stage. Each piece is separately removed to prevent uneven breaking. The surgical site is then secured with stitches.

Wisdom Teeth: Aftercare

Wisdom teeth removal involves tooth extraction and causes minor trauma to the gums and the surrounding tissues. Following the given aftercare tips will make your life easier and accelerate the healing procedure.

In case of bleeding, bite on moist gauze for 45 minutes. For 24 hours after the extraction refrain from sucking through straws, forcefully spitting and vigorous rinsing to avoid dislodging the clot. Displacement of the clot leads to a dry socket which involves pain and unpleasant mouth odor.
Rinse your mouth with salt water for relaxing the treated area.
The region near the extraction site will experience swelling. Use ice packs on the area to reduce it.
Take the prescribed antibiotics and painkillers to shun pain and infections.
Follow a liquid diet until your anesthesia completely wears off. Have soft foods for a few days after the surgery.
Continue flossing and brushing but avoid touching the surgical site.

For further queries, visit us at Nickles Dental or book an appointment with us at (864) 244-3211.