Wisdom teeth begin coming in between the ages of 17 and 24 years old. They are the last permanent molars to grow in from the set of your adult teeth, and they are located in the very back of your mouth. Often times, people’s wisdom teeth grow in either crooked or compact, causing difficulties and significant pain. A wisdom tooth extraction is a dental procedure in which the dentist removes one or more of your adult wisdom teeth. There are many reasons why your dentist may recommend your wisdom tooth may be removed, including but not limited to your jaw being too small to fit all of your teeth, your teeth are overcrowding, your wisdom teeth are growing in a crooked orientation, if your wisdom tooth is not growing at all, or it is infected. Regardless of the reason why your wisdom tooth may need to be removed, people are often fearful of the procedure due to the unfamiliarity behind it. Let’s learn more about a wisdom tooth extraction below.
Wisdom Tooth Extraction Procedure
The wisdom tooth extraction procedure should take approximately 45 minutes to an hour depending on the patient and the complexity of the dental structure. Your dentist will use anesthesia during the procedure to relieve you of any pain. The dentist may use one of three types of anesthesia, depending on the extent of the work necessary during the procedure. Local anesthesia is injected near the site of each tooth being extracted. Sedation anesthesia is received through an intravenous, otherwise called IV, line in your arm. General anesthesia can be inhaled through your nose or administered through an IV line in your arm, or both. You’ll experience no pain and have no memory of the procedure. During the procedure, your dentist will use small instruments called scalpels to make an incision in the gums and expose the tooth and bone. The dentist will then cut and divide the tooth into smaller sections and remove the tooth. Before stitching the wound, the dentist will clean the area and ensure all parts of the tooth are removed. These stitches will eventually fall out. At the end, the dentist may use gauze to keep the area dry from any blood and saliva.
Do You Need Wisdom Tooth Extraction?
You may need your wisdom teeth extracted if you experience two or more of the following symptoms: swelling gums or around the jaw area, sensitive gums or wisdom tooth, blistering or bleeding around the tooth, dizziness, headaches, or migraines. If you have experienced these symptoms, talk to your dentist about the option of a wisdom tooth extraction and create a treatment plan that works for you.
Leaving your wisdom teeth in, if there are already issues associated with it, will cause wisdom tooth pain in which the severity of your symptoms will increase. This could result in difficulty eating, bleeding gums, and a swollen jaw. Infection will also begin to spread, ultimately causing tooth decay. All teeth will either fall out or be extracted if the case gets very severe. If still untreated, the mouth and the body are inherently connected, so eventually gum disease can spread to other hosts when there are no teeth left in the skeletal structure to decay. Dental health is just as important as physical health and should not be something that is taken lightly. Although dental work is a nationwide shared fear, avoiding the removal of your wisdom teeth could lead to future damage if ignored.
Schedule Your Wisdom Tooth Extraction Today!
If your wisdom tooth or teeth are causing you significant levels of pain, you should talk to your dentist about getting them removed. While the procedure may seem scary or nerve wracking at first, it is more beneficial to have them removed then suffer the potential consequences of leaving the tooth alone. If the issue is avoided, complications can occur. Contact Inglewood Family Dental about removing your wisdom teeth to prevent future oral issues. We offer consultations and would love to help relieve you of your oral pain.
