Wisdom Tooth Extraction - Extracting Discomfort

For some people, wisdom teeth become a big problem, causing pain, infection and a variety of other dental problems. When these teeth begin causing problems, wisdom tooth extraction may be the best choice. This is a surgical procedure that is done to remove a wisdom tooth or more. While wisdom teeth removal is important for eliminating discomfort for many people, dentists often recommend the procedure even if impacted wisdom teeth are not currently causing problems.

Impacted Wisdom Teeth and the Problems They Causes

The wisdom teeth usually begin growing in between age 17-25 for most people. In some cases, if there isn’t enough room in the mouth, the teeth may grow in and become impacted. Sometimes the teeth erupt partially or they may not even come through all the way. Some of the problems that can be caused by impacted wisdom teeth include the following:

• Damage to surrounding teeth
• Infection
• Damage to bone surrounding the teeth
• Cyst development around the wisdom tooth
• Pain

When these problems begin to occur, a wisdom tooth extraction is often the best way to eliminate discomfort and other potential dental problems.

Preventing More Problems

Having a wisdom tooth extraction can help to prevent more dental problems in the future. Sometimes, even if the teeth aren’t causing pain, impacted wisdom teeth may still be diseased, they can make you more likely to develop gum disease and they can cause problems in the future. Simply having them removed, even when they are not symptomatic can be a great way to prevent any further problems.

About the Procedure

When a wisdom tooth extraction is done, several different types of anesthesia can be used, depending on your comfort level and the complexity of the procedure. Local anaesthesia, general anesthesia and sedation anesthesia are the three options available. In most cases, general anesthesia is only used for very complicated extractions.

Wisdom teeth removal includes having an incision made that exposes the bone and teeth. Bone blocking the tooth is removed and the tooth may be removed in pieces if it is easier. After the tooth is removed, the site is cleaned of bone and tooth debris and the wound may be stitched shut. To help make sure blood clotting occurs and bleeding is controlled, gauze is placed over the site where the extraction took place.

While it will take a little recovery time to recover from the wisdom tooth extraction, you should be back to normal in a few days. Most people who have experienced a lot of pain and discomfort from their wisdom teeth find that the procedure is well worth it.