Wisdom teeth, or third molars, are often the last teeth to emerge in the mouth. For some people, these late-developing teeth may become impacted and require removal.
An impacted tooth is trapped under the gum and bone because there is not enough room for it to erupt normally. Impacted wisdom teeth can cause pain, infection, and other dental problems if not treated promptly.
Although wisdom teeth can be removed at any age, it is generally recommended that they be extracted when a person is in their late teens or early twenties. At this age, the roots of the wisdom teeth may not have fully formed yet and the bone around them is usually softer and more pliable than in older adults. This makes extraction easier and allows for faster healing with fewer complications.
Before removing impacted wisdom teeth, your dentist will take x-rays of your mouth to determine their exact position and how difficult removal may be.
In some cases, your dentist may refer you to an oral surgeon who specializes in tooth extractions if complications are expected during the procedure. You can find more info about Dental implants at https://temeculafacialoralsurgery.com. Once all necessary steps are taken prior to extraction, local anesthesia will be administered to make sure you remain comfortable throughout the process.
The actual procedure for extracting an impacted wisdom tooth involves gently cutting away some of the gum tissue covering the tooth before using special instruments to remove it from its socket along with any surrounding bone material that blocks its pathway. In most cases, stitches are used afterwards to close up the wound created by surgery.
After surgery, patients should expect some discomfort for several days as well as swelling in their face or jaw area which can be controlled with medications prescribed by their dentist or oral surgeon such as ibuprofen or codeine-based medications.
Keeping your head elevated while sleeping helps reduce swelling and applying cold compresses on your face can also help relieve pain and discomfort in this period of recovery. It is important to note that smoking should also be avoided after surgery because it increases healing time significantly due to reduced blood flow into extract sites in addition to increasing risk of infection and dry socket formation following extraction procedures involving impacted wisdom teeth .
It is recommended that between one and two weeks should elapse before returning back for suture removal depending on how quickly you heal from surgery although your dentist may recommend a follow-up appointment sooner if needed due quick onset of unusual symptoms such as excessive bleeding or severe pain which could indicate infection has developed after surgery . To ensure a successful recovery from impacted wisdom tooth extraction , patients must follow all postoperative instructions provided by their dentist carefully including abstinence from vigorous activities such as running or lifting heavy objects as well as sticking strictly with a soft food diet until healing has completed adequately so wounds don’t open up again prematurely .
Removing impacted wisdom teeth can help prevent many uncomfortable dental problems such as overcrowding , jaw pain , headaches , infections , cysts , damage caused by decay which don’t often show up until later on down the road when they become bigger issues requiring more invasive treatment plans .
Although removal of these third molars isn’t always necessary since they can remain symptom free throughout life without causing any issues , but it’s still important for everyone regardless of potential risks involved because impactions tend to increase significantly with age making them harder harder treat later on down road when health conditions such as diabetes gingivitis osteoporosis become more prevalent .
Overall , an informed decision about whether extracting impacted wisdom teeth is the right choice must always come from consulting closely with both primary dentist family doctors together . This way all parties involved will know expectations from surgery what needs done ahead of time to make sure everything goes smoothly, possibly reducing risk of potential complications afterward .
