Wisdom Teeth Removal
San Antonio & Pleasanton, TX
Wisdom Teeth Removal provided by Drs. Hosseini & Brummerhop in San Antonio & Pleasanton, TX at Aesthetic Periodontal & Implant Specialists
While all of the parts of your body are important, there are some parts that are far more important than others. Your wisdom teeth, or your third molars, are useful but not vital to your overall dental function. Not only do you not really need your wisdom teeth, but when your wisdom teeth begin to erupt, they can cause all sorts of issues. Many young adults need to have their wisdom teeth removed to relieve pain or infection. Here is some information from Aesthetic Periodontal & Implant Specialists on wisdom teeth and wisdom tooth removal.
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Why Can Wisdom Teeth Be Removed?
Nearly all adults have two sets of molars, or eight teeth in all. The last set of molars usually comes in when you are between 17 and 24 years old. Human diets have changed over the years. We eat far more easy-to-chew foods than our ancestors did. Early humans ate a lot of hard-to-chew foods, such as raw meat, leaves, nuts, and berries, so they needed an extra set of molars for chewing and grinding their food. But now, those wisdom teeth are not needed.
As human teeth have changed over the years, their jaws have changed too. Your jaws are smaller and thinner than the jaws of early humans, which means that wisdom teeth may not fit well in your mouth. In fact, if your wisdom teeth do not fit well in your mouth, they can become stuck in your jawbone, which is called impacted wisdom teeth. If you or a family member have impacted wisdom teeth, you can have headaches, jaw pain, earaches, and infections.
Wisdom Tooth Surgery
If you or a family member is having problems with wisdom teeth, the usual treatment for wisdom tooth impaction is minor oral surgery. However, the exact specifications of your surgical extraction will depend on several factors.
How Many Wisdom Teeth Do I Have?
The difficulty of your wisdom tooth surgery depends on how many wisdom teeth you have. Our dentist can determine how many wisdom teeth we have through X-rays. Even if your wisdom teeth have not erupted through your gumline, dentists can see them in an X-ray easily. The more wisdom teeth you have, the more difficult your surgery may be. It is usually easier to remove one tooth than four teeth.
How Impacted Are My Wisdom Teeth?
Wisdom tooth removal may also be more difficult, depending on how deep they are. In other words, if your wisdom teeth are close to erupting or close to the gumline, it will be easier for our dentist to remove them. If your wisdom teeth are impacted, our dentist usually has to make incisions into your gums to remove the teeth, which makes oral surgery a bit more difficult.
Your Overall Health
If you are in good overall health, it will be easier for our dentist to remove your wisdom teeth than for someone who may have active gum disease, heavy tooth decay, or a chronic health issue. For example, people who are diabetic have a more difficult time healing after oral surgery. Tobacco users also have a difficult time healing. You will want to be as healthy as possible for your wisdom tooth extraction.
Wisdom Tooth Surgery
Before you can undergo a wisdom tooth removal, you will need to understand what happens during wisdom tooth surgery. First, you or your family member will get anesthesia. Depending on the difficulty of your wisdom teeth removal, our dentist might administer IV sedation, sedation through a gas mask, or general anesthesia for oral surgery. No matter what type of sedation you need, it will either relax you or allow you to sleep for the procedure.
Next, our dentist will make an incision into the gum tissue so that your tooth root and jawbone are exposed for the procedure. If your wisdom tooth is close to the gumline, the incision will be smaller than if your teeth are deeper into the gum tissue. Our dentist will then remove your wisdom tooth, either in one piece or in sections. They will then treat the area so that none of the tooth tissue or root remains and stitch it closed. You will then be brought out of anesthesia if that was used.
Recovery After Wisdom Tooth Removal
Now that you have decided to have your wisdom teeth removed, you need to take some time to think about how you will recover afterward. First, you need to pay attention to any pre-operative instructions our dentist has given you. For example, you may not be allowed to drink or eat anything for eight hours before surgery if you are getting anesthesia. Check with the dentist about whether to take your medications before you have surgery. If you smoke, you need to avoid using tobacco 12 hours before surgery. Be sure you have brushed and flossed your teeth before you come to our office. Finally, you will need to have someone with you who can drive you home after your surgery is complete.
Once your surgery is finished, you will need post-operative care. You will want someone to stay with you for the day and evening after your procedure. After the first 24 hours, you can rinse the wisdom tooth extraction sites with warm salt water but do not brush them. Avoid overly hot or cold foods for a few days, and stick to soft foods. Be alert for any sign of wisdom tooth extraction complications, such as extreme pain, swelling, fever, and the appearance of a bump around your incision site. These are indications that you may have a complication after your wisdom tooth removal. Do not hesitate to call our office after your procedure if you have concerns or questions.
If you are worried about pain, talk to our dentist about wisdom tooth pain relief after your procedure. Depending on the difficulty of your procedure, you may be prescribed medication for your pain, or you may be able to use over-the-counter pain relief medication. To help your mouth heal more quickly, you should apply ice packs to your jaws to help keep the swelling and inflammation down.
Contact Us Today!
Not sure whether you or someone in your family need wisdom tooth removal? Why not give our office a call today so we can make an appointment for you with our dentist? Reach out to Aesthetic Periodontal & Implant Specialists at (210) 614-4700 as soon as possible.
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