Wisdom Teeth
Dentist Titus Dental Care
A person’s wisdom teeth, which are also known as the third set of molars, normally come in at about the ages of 17 to 25, and are the last set of permanent teeth. The perceived need to remove this set of teeth has been a source of controversy in the dental profession for many years.
It would normally be fine to leave them in place, if they weren’t otherwise causing any pain or harm, never-the-less, they would certainly need to be removed if they were positioned badly or were causing major discomfort.
Wisdom teeth can sometimes be impacted when they first come in, and if that were the case, they would normally need to be extracted. Although they could sometimes be simply pulled, a qualified surgeon would usually need to cut them out, and when the proper extraction time does come, there will first need to be a consultation with the oral surgeon.
In order for the surgeon to properly evaluate the exact state of these molars, a few x-rays will have to be taken during the consultation, then he or she will reveal your options to you after looking in your mouth and going over the x-rays. You would then have the option of using IV sedation therapy, or simply a local anesthesia if the surgeon deems extraction necessary.
The preferred method of sedation would probably be with an IV, if your wisdom teeth are going to be cut out, so that you’ll be completely relaxed and unaware of the procedure taking place. You would be fully aware of what was going on in your mouth, if you should decide to use only local anesthesia.
That choice is simply numbing your gums and surrounding jaw, and you would probably feel quite uncomfortable hearing the cracking and popping sounds of this procedure!
The exact process of removal can be anywhere from simple and easy to very hard, depending on the formation of your wisdom teeth, and their size and shape. This removal process can be quite painful and require quite a bit of time, if the tips of the teeth roots have become wrapped around the bone. The good news is that there is usually little or no swelling once the process of extraction has been completed.
Since you will not be in any condition that will allow you to drive home safely after IV sedation therapy, you will need to arrange for someone to come with you to the oral surgeon’s office. In any case the doctor will prescribe you medication for pain that you should take as soon as you arrive home.
As far as the timely healing of your gums is concerned, your dentist will definitely make sure you know what to expect following the removal of your wisdom teeth. In order to ensure that you experience little or no healing process troubles, the dentist or oral surgeon will normally give you some helpful information to bring home with you.
As would be expected, you will be unable to eat certain foods for forty-eight hours or so following the procedure, and to make certain you will be okay, someone should be with you the first twenty-four hours. You will definitely notice huge improvements in your oral and in your overall health, once your wisdom teeth are removed.
