When a surgery is performed to extract one or more wisdom tooth it’s called wisdom tooth extraction. The wisdom teeth are four adult teeth that erupt at the back ends of your mouth on the upper and lower jaw lines.
If there is scarcity of place for wisdom tooth to erupt through the gum it pains and may lead to infection or various other associated dental issues. Due to these reasons the wisdom teeth are removed surgically.
Why It Is needed?
A wisdom tooth may create problem to nearby teeth or any other dental issues. It is also necessary to extract these teeth to ward off any future dental problem. Wisdom teeth can bring several issues including:
- They may become impacted if your jaw cannot provide space for them to erupt through your gums.
- These teeth may come out partially through your gums, allowing a piece of gum tissue to develop over them. Food particles and germs may get sandwiched within the flap leading to red, painful and swollen gums.
- The problem could be more severe at times due to impacted teeth, like infection, harm to other bone and teeth or a cyst development.
- It may try to break through the gums at an unusual angle harming other teeth in the proximity.
Wisdom Tooth Removal Procedure
Prior to Tooth Extraction, your dentist will administer a local anesthetic to numb the location of the tooth. Your dentist may also apply general anesthetic if more than one wisdom tooth has to be removed as general anesthetic would prevent the feeling of pain throughout the procedure. Your dentist may also instruct you to stop eating 8-10 hours prior to the surgery for making you ready for the anesthetic.
The dentist will create a small incision in the gum tissues of the teeth to remove any bone that might be covering your tooth. Then the tissues that connect the tooth to the bone are separated to extract the tooth. Often the dentist also breaks the tooth into pieces for easy removal.
Once the tooth is taken out, stitches may be required to close the incision. There are stitches that dissolve with time and a few may require to be removed after some days. A small piece of folded cotton gauze will be slipped over the wound to stop bleeding.
Post Surgery Care
In the majority of cases, the recovery period is not long! You will be prescribed painkillers. You would be instructed to take the following measures for expeditious recuperation:
- Bite softly the gauze occasionally, and keep replacing the pads with new ones as they get soaked with blood. You should contact your dentist if the bleeding did not stop after 24 hours of surgery.
- Be cautious not to bite any inner part of your mouth as your mouth will remain numb for some time.
- If you wish to lie down, elevate your head using pillow as flat posture may promote bleeding.
- Apply ice pack on the outer side of your mouth for 24 hours immediately after surgery. In next 2-3 days you should apply pad soaked in warm water to get relief from pain.
- Avoid any physical stress as it may lead to bleeding.
- You should have soft food or fluid to ease your gums like gelatin, soup, pudding etc. You can slowly add solid food with the recovery of gums.
- Stop sucking straw for drinking purposes as it may weaken the process of blood clotting and harm the healing process.
- After one day, rinse your mouth using warm salted water gently for many times to simmer down the swelling and getting relief from pain.
- Smoking is prohibited for minimum 24 hours post surgery. It may delay clotting process, diminish the blood supply and can invite contaminant and germs to the surgery location causing harm.
- Do not rub the surgery with your tongue or with fingers.
- Don’t stop brushing your teeth, brush but carefully.
Risks Associated
Once the wisdom tooth is discarded, you may witness following signs:
- Swelled and painful gums including the tooth opening from where the tooth has been extracted.
- Bleeding may continue for more than 24 hours.
- Problem in opening your mouth due to pain.
- Slow-recuperating gums.
- Effect on existing dental procedures, like bridges, crowns, roots or other tooth.
- Inflammatory dry socket due to slow blood clotting that protects the gums.
- Desensitized mouth and lips, even if the effect of local anesthetic subsides, because of injury or inflammation nerves in the jaw.
Are you confused whether your wisdom tooth is causing any trouble explained above? Schedule an appointment with Monash Dental, team of Melbourne dental surgeons, certified by the Australian Dental Examining Council, will diagnosis and evaluate the need of wisdom tooth removal.
