Wisdom teeth extraction: A comprehensive guide - Silicon Valley Dentistry

Wisdom tooth extraction is a procedure to effectively remove one or more wisdom teeth that are impacted. Wisdom teeth are nothing but the four permanent adult teeth that are located at the back corner of your mouth on the top and the bottom. A wisdom tooth will have to be extracted if it doesn't have enough room to grow, resulting in infection, tremendous pain, or other dental problems. A dentist or an oral surgeon can do a wisdom tooth extraction. Sometimes, it is recommended by dentists and oral surgeons to remove the wisdom tooth even if the impacted teeth aren't currently causing problems. 

Why is it done?

Wisdom teeth, or third molars, are the last permanent teeth to appear in the mouth. It usually

appears between the ages of 17 and 25. Some people don't even develop wisdom teeth. The

wisdom teeth typically erupt like other molars did and don't cause any problems for some people.

Many people are reported to develop impacted wisdom teeth; impacted wisdom teeth are the ones

that do not have enough space to grow into the mouth normally. Impacted wisdom teeth can erupt

only partially or maybe not at all. 

An impacted wisdom tooth can:

• An impacted wisdom tooth is prone to grow at an angle toward the next tooth.

• They may grow at an angle toward the back of the mouth, which can cause severe problems

• for the patient.

• They may grow at a right angle to the other teeth as if the wisdom tooth is within

• the patient's jawbone.

• They may even grow generally like other teeth do, straight up and down, but they

• may stay trapped within the jawbone.

 

Problems that may come along with impacted wisdom teeth

You should most likely get your wisdom tooth extracted if these problems come up:

• If you feel constant pain in the back of your mouth, it is recommended to get it looked

• at by a dentist. 

• The food you eat gets trapped behind the wisdom tooth. 

• If there is an infection or gum disease, it may be a sign to get your wisdom tooth removed. 

• Tooth decay may appear in a partially erupted wisdom tooth. 

• If there is damage to the nearby tooth or surrounding bones. 

• If there is a sac filled with fluid around the wisdom tooth. 

 

Preventing future dental problems

Dental specialists often disagree with each other on the topic of extraction of asymptomatic

wisdom teeth. One can never predict the future problems that may come with an impacted

wisdom tooth. However, it would help if you still considered extracting an asymptomatic

impacted wisdom tooth. As symptom-free, wisdom teeth could still harbor diseases in them.

It's often hard to clean if there isn't enough space for the tooth to erupt. Serious complications

with wisdom teeth are less likely to appear in younger adults. With age, one may experience

difficulty with surgery and may have some complications after surgery. 

Risks that come with the surgery

In most cases, wisdom tooth extractions do not result in long-term complications. However,

removal of an infected wisdom tooth requires a surgical approach it. It involves the process

of making an incision in the gum tissue and removing bone. The complications, if any, may

include:

• Infection in the socket is caused by bacteria or trapped food particles.

• There also remains a minor risk of damage to nearby teeth, nerves, jawbones, or sinuses.

 

How can one prepare for the surgery?

Your dentist can perform the procedure at their practice. But, if the tooth is deeply impacted or

if the extraction requires an in-depth surgical approach, your dentist can suggest you see

an oral surgeon. The oral surgeon will recommend using an anesthetic to make the area

operated on numb; this will make you feel more comfortable during the procedure.

What should one expect in the procedure?

A local anaesthetic is injected around the area to make you feel numb.. Then the dentists  remove the

bone that blocks access to the tooth root. Then they divide the tooth into sections if it makes

it easier for them to remove it in pieces. Next step, they remove the tooth. Clean the site of the

extracted tooth. Stitch the wound close to promote healing; this step is not necessary

for all the procedures. The final step is to place gauze over the extraction site to control the

bleeding and help a blood clot. 

 

 

Final results

After the procedure, you probably won't need a follow-up appointment after the surgery.

The cost of wisdom teeth extraction surgery depends on the patient's situation. The cost

of a wisdom tooth can range from $75 to $250. But a single wisdom tooth extraction

with general anesthesia may cost up to $600 to $1000. The cost of it mainly depends on the

complexity of the surgery. Having dental insurance can help you out. It may seem a lot,

but with the professional touch an intricate surgery like this needs, it is reasonable.

And after the surgery, you won't have to worry about further dental problems that an impacted

wisdom tooth would have caused. The pain that you used to feel due to the infected teeth will

be gone. And you can start smiling again, which is the most significant advantage of any

dental procedure.