Wisdom Teeth Extraction At Swiss Smile

Wisdom teeth, also known as third molars, are the last permanent teeth to appear in the mouth. While some people never get wisdom teeth, most people get their wisdom teeth between the ages of 17 to 25. In most cases, wisdom teeth erupt without any issues, just like other molars. However, some people face certain problems like:

• Not enough room for the teeth to erupt in the mouth
• Impacted wisdom teeth may erupt only partially

If you are facing such issues with your wisdom tooth, you might experience pain, infection, or other dental problems. In our expert opinion, we recommend tooth extraction in such cases.

Symptoms of Infected Wisdom Teeth

You’ll know you have a wisdom tooth growing in when you discover a new molar in the rear of your mouth. Even if the wisdom tooth isn’t infected, you’ll feel a slight pain in the back of your mouth or tenderness in your gums.

However, if your wisdom tooth is infected, you will suffer from the following symptoms:

• Tender or bleeding gums
• Red or swollen gums
• Jaw pain or swelling
• Bad breath or an unpleasant taste in the mouth
• Difficulty opening the mouth

These problems either arise due to improperly cleaned wisdom teeth or because the tooth is infected.

When To Remove Wisdom Teeth

Wisdom teeth are supposed to erupt normally as most molars, however, sometimes the tooth may:

• Grow towards the back of the mouth
• Grow towards the second molar
• Grow at a right angle as if the tooth is lying down on the jaw bone
• Grow straight like other teeth, but stays trapped within the jawbone

If your tooth grows in the way as mentioned above, you will initially face problems like:

• Pain at the back of your mouth
• Trapped food and debris around the wisdom tooth
• Complications with other orthodontic treatments

Due to this, we recommend extracting your wisdom teeth. If you choose not to, over time, you will face the following complications:

Damage to Other Teeth

If the wisdom tooth grows in an angle that is pushing against the second molar, it may damage the second molar or increase the risks of infecting the entire area. The pressure could cause overcrowding in your mouth, which will eventually require orthodontic treatment to straighten other teeth.

Cysts

If your wisdom tooth develops in a sac within the jawbone, the sac will fill with fluids and creates a cyst that can cause damage to the jawbone, teeth, and nerves. Eventually, a tumor (mostly noncancerous) develops. If this occurs, you will have to remove not only the tooth but also the tissue and the bone.

Decay

If a wisdom tooth only grows partially, it faces an increased risk of tooth decay (caries). This is because these teeth are harder to clean, and food and bacteria can get easily trapped between the gum and a partially erupted tooth.

Gum Disease

Due to the difficulty in cleaning the tooth, along with tooth decay, the bacteria collected behind the wisdom tooth increases the risk of developing a gum condition known as pericoronitis.

To avoid all these complications, we recommend visiting your nearest Swiss Smile clinic when you notice the growth of a new molar. Our experts will be able to analyze the growth of the tooth and determine if a tooth extraction is needed well in advance before any issues arise.

Wisdom Teeth Treatment Procedure

If we do determine that the wisdom tooth is causing too much pain or other dental problems, we generally recommend surgery for the impacted wisdom tooth extraction. In most cases, we recommend surgery when:

• The wisdom tooth is causing infection or gum diseases
• The wisdom tooth has causes tooth decay
• The wisdom tooth has resulted in the formation of cysts or tumors
• The wisdom tooth is causing damage to other teeth

In most cases, the wisdom teeth extraction is done as an outpatient procedure, so our patients go home on the same day. The tooth extraction method is done in two steps as given below:

Sedation or Anesthesia

To carry out the extraction, we may sedate you with local anesthesia, which numbs your mouth, or general anesthesia, which makes you lose consciousness.

Tooth Removal

During the extraction process, our dentist will first make an incision in your gums and remove any bone that blocks access to the impacted tooth root. Once the tooth has been extracted, our dentists will close the wound with stitches and pack the space with gauze.

After the procedure, you might face some pain and bleeding, as well as swelling of the jaw. You might also face some problems with opening your mouth wide for a short period.

Our expert dentists will provide you with an entire plan for tooth extraction recovery that will help you care for the wounds and for managing the pain and swelling. While these recommendations differ from case to case, here are some of the general instructions you should follow after undergoing the tooth extraction procedure:

Bleeding

You might experience oozing of blood on the first day after the tooth has been removed. We recommend avoiding excessive spitting to ensure you don’t dislodge the blood clot from the socket.

Pain Management

To manage tooth extraction pain, we provide prescriptions for over-the-counter pain relievers like acetaminophen (Tylenol, others). A higher dose may be prescribed if your bone has been removed during the procedure. We also recommend holding a cold pack against your jaw.

Swelling & Bruising

The swelling of your cheeks will improve within two or three days. You can use an ice pack to speed up the process. However, bruising may take several more days to resolve.

Rest

After your surgery, rest for the rest of the day. Avoid any strenuous activity for at least a week, as it may result in losing the blood clot from the socket.

Beverages

After the surgery, drink a lot of water. For at least the first 24 hours, don’t consume any alcoholic, caffeinated, carbonated, or hot beverages. Also, don’t drink any liquid with straws for at least a week as the sucking action may dislodge the blood cot from the socket.

Food

For the first 24 hours, we recommend eating only soft foods, like yogurt. After that, start eating semisoft foods. Don’t consume hard, chewy, hot, or spicy foods that might get stuck un the socket or irritate the wound.

Clean Your Mouth

We urge our patients not to brush their teeth, rinse their mouths, or spit using mouthwash for the first 24 hours after the surgery. After that, when brushing, you must be careful and gentle near the surgical wound. Also, it would help if you gently rinse your mouth with warm salt water every two hours after every meal for at least a week.

The Use of Tobacco

Don’t smoke for at least 72 hours after surgery; wait longer if possible. If you chew tobacco, don’t do it for at least a week. If you consume tobacco immediately, it can delay the healing and increase the risks.

Preventing Wisdom Teeth Infections

You can’t stop a wisdom tooth from occurring. However, we recommend scheduling regular dental appointments for teeth cleaning and checkups at your nearest Swiss Smile clinic. This will enable us to monitor the growth and emergence of your wisdom tooth.