Wisdom Teeth Surgery
Wisdom teeth usually start to grow between the ages of 17 and 25. They are the third molars located at the end of gum. Developed after puberty and subject to space restriction, wisdom teeth are usually “impacted”, growing obliquely, horizontally or inversely.
Reasons for wisdom tooth extraction
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Therapeutic Extraction
There start to be problems with the wisdom teeth, such as swelling, crown inflammation, teeth disease, tooth decay or impact on other teeth, etc.
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Preventive Extraction
According to dental X-ray, the wisdom teeth could possibly cause tooth decay, periodontal disease and jaw inflammation. They should be extracted to prevent the onset of such problems.
There are two kinds of surgery:
Simple tooth extraction
- Applicable to visible wisdom teeth in the mouth
- The areas around the teeth are anesthetized before the extractio
- The dentist will loosen the teeth with a dental elevator, then extract the teeth with surgical forceps, scrape the alveolar sockets and perform bone repair depending on the situation
Surgical Extraction
- he procedure is more complicated, applicable to wisdom teeth that have broken from the gum or have not yet erupted. The dentist will make an incision on the gum surface to remove the broken or impacted wisdom teeth.
- The surgery is usually performed under local anesthesia, but sometimes general anesthesia or sedation may be given. You feel the pressure but not the pain during the surgery.
There are mainly five steps in the surgical procedure:
- The dentist will first take an X-ray or computer scan to understand the positions and angles of the wisdom teeth as well as important tissues nearby (such as nerves) to assess the risks of the surgery
- Make an incision on the gum
- Remove the alveolar bone surrounding the teet
- Depending on the situation, the teeth may be divided into several parts for extraction
- Clean the alveolar sockets
- Suture the wounds and ensure they stop bleeding
Follow up at the dentist’s office about a week after the completion of either one of the above two surgeries to check the progress of wound healing. Wounds will usually heal within two weeks approximately.
Precautions after surgery
- Do not rinse your mouth vigorously for a few days after surgery
- Avoid strenuous exercises for 3 days
- Eat soft and cold food and chew with teeth on the other side
- Do not smoke, use a straw or spit to avoid the dislodging of blood clots in the extraction areas
If the below situations arise, please follow up with your dentist as soon as possible:
- Swelling gets worse but not better
- Fever, chill or redness
- Have difficulty swallowing
- Persistent oozing or bleeding from the surgical site within 24 hours after surgery
- Tongue, jaw or lips still feel numb 3 to 4 hours after surgery
- Extraction site is very painful, which can be a symptom of dry socket
