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Extractions
Before removing a wisdom tooth, your dentist will give you
a local anesthetic to numb the area where the tooth will be removed. A
general anesthetic may be used, especially if several or all of your
wisdom teeth will be removed at the same time. A general anesthetic
prevents pain in the whole body and will make you groggy or cause you to
sleep through the procedure. Your dentist will probably recommend that you
don't eat or drink after midnight on the night before surgery, so you are
prepared for the anesthetic.
To remove the wisdom tooth, your dentist will open up the
gum tissue over the tooth and take out any bone that is covering the
tooth. He or she will separate the tissue connecting the tooth to the bone
and then remove the tooth. Sometimes the dentist will cut the tooth into
smaller pieces to make it easier to remove.
After the tooth is removed, you may need stitches. Some
stitches dissolve over time and some have to be removed after a few days.
Your dentist will tell you whether your stitches need to be removed. A
folded cotton gauze pad placed over the wound will help stop the
bleeding.
What To Expect After Surgery
In most
cases, the recovery period lasts only a few days. Take painkillers as
prescribed by your dentist or oral surgeon. The following tips will help
speed your recovery.
- Bite gently on the gauze pad periodically, and change
pads as they become soaked with blood. Call your dentist or oral surgeon
if you still have bleeding 24 hours after your surgery.
While your
mouth is numb, be careful not to bite the inside of your cheek or lip,
or your tongue.
- Do not lie flat. This may prolong bleeding. Prop up
your head with pillows.
- Try using an ice pack on the outside of your cheek for
the first 24 hours. You can use moist heat-such as a washcloth soaked in
warm water and wrung out-for the following 2 or 3 days.
- Relax after surgery. Physical activity may increase
bleeding.
Eat soft foods, such as gelatin, pudding, or a thin soup.
Gradually add solid foods to your diet as healing progresses.
- Do not use a straw for the first few days. Sucking on a
straw can loosen the blood clot and delay healing.
- After the first day, gently rinse your mouth with warm
salt water several times a day to reduce swelling and relieve pain.
- Do not smoke for at least 24 hours after your surgery.
The sucking motion can loosen the clot and delay healing. In addition,
smoking decreases the blood supply and can bring germs and contaminants
to the surgery area.
Avoid rubbing the area with your tongue or
touching it with your fingers.
- Continue to brush your teeth and tongue carefully.
Your dentist will remove the stitches after a few days, if needed.
Why It Is Done
A wisdom tooth is
extracted to correct an actual problem or to prevent problems that may
come up in the future. When wisdom teeth come in, a number of problems can
occur:
Your jaw may not be large enough to accommodate them, and
they may become impacted and unable to break through your gums.
Your
wisdom teeth may break partway through your gums, causing a flap of gum
tissue to grow over them. Food and germs can become trapped under the flap
and cause your gums to become red, swollen, and painful. These are signs
of infection.
More serious problems can develop from impacted teeth,
such as infection, damage to other teeth and bone, or the development of a
cyst.
One or more of your wisdom teeth may come in at an awkward
angle, with the top of the tooth facing forward, backward, or to either
side.
How Well It Works
Wisdom tooth removal
usually is effective in preventing:
- Crowding of the back teeth.
- A wisdom tooth becoming stuck in the jaw (impacted) and
never breaking through the gums.
- Red, swollen, and painful gums caused by a flap of skin
around a wisdom tooth that has only partially come in.
- Gum disease and tooth decay in the wisdom tooth, which
may be harder to clean than other teeth, or in the teeth and jaw in the
area of the wisdom tooth.
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