As you age, the likeliness of knowing about your wisdom teeth increase. For those who are unfamiliar with them, wisdom teeth, also called your back molars, are the larger, flat teeth that are located towards the back of your mouth. They’re given the name “wisdom teeth” because they grow in much later than your other teeth do. While your molar teeth are already present at birth in your gums, they usually tend to emerge anywhere from the ages of 17-21. Some may struggle with their molars not growing in properly due to overcrowding or misalignment causing them to need extraction. As soon as you realize your molars are growing in, it is important to visit a dentist to determine a plan of action and identify whether or not you need wisdom tooth removal.
Reasons You May Need Your Wisdom Tooth Removal
All people’s teeth grow in differently, therefore there can be many reasons why you may need to have your wisdom tooth removal. First of all, you may need to have your wisdom teeth removed if they become impacted. When teeth are impacted, it means that there is little room for them to properly grow in.
Often times, this is a result of being blocked from erupting, especially because of other teeth. Additionally, these teeth can become stuck under your gums. In this case, the tooth may become infected and spread throughout your body, which can affect your physical health.
A final reason why you may need your back molars removed is if your teeth are growing in crooked or improperly. This could cause your molars to grow in sideways or in an unnatural way, therefore causing future harm and pain. If you have any of these issues, it’s important to talk to your dentist about extraction.
Wisdom Tooth Extraction Procedure
Depending on how severe of a case you’re experiencing, there are different methods your dentist may take to extract the wisdom tooth. Regardless, your dentist will start by administering anesthetics to you. This will temporarily render you unconscious, unable to feel or experience pain. Once this is completed, your dentist will make an incision in your gums where the wisdom tooth is to reveal the root. In some cases, there may be a small piece of bone that is blocking the tooth. The dentist will need to remove this bone, during the procedure, in order to access the wisdom tooth, and complete the procedure.
To perform the wisdom tooth removal, your dentist will follow typical extraction procedure by cutting the tooth into pieces and removing them to ensure each and every piece of the tooth and root were properly removed. After completed, they will stitch up the area and pack you with gauze to absorb any blood or liquids that come in contact with the area.
Recovery
On top of in-depth dental care, which includes brushing and flossing daily when the area becomes less sensitive, your dentist will either prescribe or recommend some form of over-the-counter pain-relieving medication. This will help with any pain and swelling you may experience after. Ibuprofen can also prevent further infection, making sure the incision heals properly. You may experience some light bleeding or spotting the first day after wisdom tooth removal. Because of this, you should also replace your mouth gauze between 1 and 3 times a day, depending on the level of bleeding.
You may also use an ice pack or bag of ice to prevent and bruising or relieve swelling and numbness. Within the first day of recovery, you should only eat soft foods like ice cream or apple sauce, to avoid ripping the incision or causing any development of an infection in the area. After your full recovery, you should have no pain and full functionality!
Remove Your Wisdom Teeth
If your dentist decides that you’d benefit from wisdom tooth extraction, it is important to follow their recommendations to avoid further damage. Contact Inglewood Family Dental for some of the best hospitality and priced procedures from following the 2022 Dental Fee Guide today! We’ll never overcharge you, so don’t fear out of pocket costs and get your oral situation fixed with us!
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