Wisdom teeth are vital organs in your mouth. You will get them in your teens or early twenties and might erupt in late adulthood in some instances. However, wisdom teeth might not erupt properly and may be misaligned. If your wisdom tooth is misaligned or impacted, it might damage your adjacent teeth. To prevent that, you must undergo wisdom teeth removal.
Here is all you need to know about wisdom tooth extraction.
What is wisdom teeth extraction surgery?
Wisdom teeth extraction is a surgical process to remove your third set of molars. But the dentist must examine and ascertain that the x-ray results show that your wisdom teeth are impacted or might cause problems.
The potential risk of wisdom tooth extraction
Potential complications associated with wisdom teeth extraction procedure include:
- Irritated nerves
- Sinus problems
- Infection
- Dry socket: dry socket is a painful post-surgery condition where blood clots get dislodged from the extraction site. A dry socket might expose your underneath nerves and bones, leading to infection.
Reason for wisdom teeth extraction
During routine appointments, the dentist monitors and assesses the condition of your wisdom teeth. That may involve dental x-rays to indicate how your teeth are growing. The teeth will be extracted if it's impacted or causes various problems such as:
- Tooth decay
- Infection or damage to the surrounding teeth
- Tooth/ bone loss
- Periodontal disease
- Swelling in the area
Remember, the dentist can recommend wisdom teeth extraction even when there are no signs or symptoms. The aim is to prevent dental problems from arising. Also, your dentist may refer you to an oral surgeon for a wisdom teeth extraction procedure so that you can be able to maintain good oral hygiene.
What happens in the extraction surgery?
On the day of surgery, the oral surgeon performs dental x-rays again. The procedure takes about 45 minutes to an hour. With anaesthesia, you won't feel pain or discomfort, depending on the type of sedation.
Wisdom teeth removal follows the following steps.
- Sedation: Sedatives such as nitrous oxide help you stay awake but relaxed during the surgery.
- Numbing: After sedation, the surgeon numbs your wisdom teeth and surrounding tissues using anaesthesia.
- Tissues removal: The surgeon removes gum tissues covering the treatment area so they can easily access the wisdom tooth.
- Bone removal: Your wisdom teeth might be fully or partially covered with bone. The surgeon uses a device to drill through and remove the bone covering your impacted teeth.
- Loosening and sectioning the tooth. After bone removal, the impacted tooth becomes visible. The surgeon will gently loosen the visible teeth from the connective tissues. Alternatively, they can cut the teeth into sections for easier extraction.
- Tooth removal: after loosening or sectioning, the surgeon uses a surgical tool to remove the tooth entirely.
- Stitches: lastly, the surgeon might add stitches to the treated area to prevent infection or for a speedy recovery.
Summary
Wisdom tooth issues affect many people in the world. However, you can resolve the problems through a standard wisdom teeth extraction procedure. Concerning wisdom teeth removal, the above information will be helpful.