Surgical Extraction of Wisdom Teeth

November 12, 2014, Crawford and O brein

An oral and maxillofacial surgeon are usually the "preferred" doctor to remove the wisdom teeth thou a General dentist may be able to do this procedure as well.  It is preferred to see the oral surgeon as he does many more then the usual dentist and that is his area of expertise.  You may even go to the hospital if the teeth are severely impacted or if they expect you to have any complications.

What are wisdom teeth?  Why would I need surgery?

Wisdom teeth are the third set of molars and usually appear later in life starting in the late teens, around age 17 all the way up to age 25.  They can cause problems during this time.  If they are impacted you may feel pain in that area.  You may  hit that area when brushing your teeth and notice some tenderness or if you touch it with your finger.  I have had my own experience with them and it feels very tender and sore to the touch.  You may also get some swelling of the gums in and around that area and maybe into the jaw.  This will take place as they try to erupt thru the skin of the gums.

Most likely you will need to have surgery if your jaw is too small as they can damage adjoining teeth, the jaw area  and even the nerves. Also it can prevent you from having future problems with your teeth as you age.  Not everyone has all four molars.  Some people have less than that or even none at all!

Impacted molars are the ones that don't want to break thru the skin and sometimes the root attaches itself to another tooth right next to it.  That's what happened to me and I had all four removed at one time.  A partial eruption can cause you to have an slight opening for bacteria to seep thru causing infections or even tooth decay as it will make brushing more difficult.

Surgical removal of the wisdom teeth will be determined by the dentist by taking some xrays.  Then he will most likely recommend that you remove them sooner rather than later and get them out before they are fully grown.

When having the surgery, you may want to be put under anesthesia and you will not feel a thing!  Thou I have known some to stay awake during this process.  Me?  I would rather be sedated and have them get it done.  After surgery you will be given instructions on how to have them heal.  In my day my stitches were attached to my face in that area!  I wondered why it hurt when I laughed.  Now they use dissolvable stitches.

Your mouth may be numb, sore, swollen.  Ice packs are very helpful and soothing.  You will want to eat soft foods in the beginning and nothing too hot or cold.  Rinse with warm saltwater as your mouthwash.   Do not smoke during this time. And carefully brush your teeth.

This procedure generally works well to also prevent crowding of the back teeth and gum diseases and tooth decay.  This procedure of having them surgically removed is rarely harmful to your overall health.

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