How Are Wisdom Teeth Removed?

Wisdom teeth are the last four molars to erupt at the back of your mouth. They normally erupt during adolescence or in the early 20s. Unfortunately, the lack of enough space in the mouth for these extra molars to grow causes them to emerge at the wrong angles or get stuck underneath the gum. This can lead to many other serious oral complications, including infections, tooth decay, bad odor, among others.

To avoid these problems, dentists advise patients to remove their wisdom teeth as soon as they erupt. But before you go for wisdom teeth extraction, you need to know how it works. This article tells you how wisdom teeth are removed.

How Is Wisdom Teeth Extraction Done?

The procedure of extracting wisdom teeth is normally done by an oral maxillofacial surgeon or a dentist. It is often done in the dentist’s office as an outpatient procedure, but it can also be done in the operating room, especially if you are having all your wisdom teeth removed at once or you are at a high risk of developing complications during the procedure. If you have other oral problems like infections, your wisdom teeth extraction procedure will be delayed until the infection is treated.

An ordinary wisdom teeth extraction procedure can be successfully done with local anesthesia to numb the area being operated on. However, sometimes your dentists may recommend general anesthesia, especially if the procedure involves the extraction of all four wisdom teeth at the same time. General anesthesia will put you to sleep throughout the procedure so that you do not feel pain.

To extract your wisdom tooth, the dentist will make an incision in your gum where the wisdom tooth is located and get rid of any bone that could be holding the tooth. They will also separate the tissue connecting the wisdom tooth to the jawbone and then pull the tooth out. If the wisdom tooth is trapped inside your jawbone, the dentist might chop it into small bits for safer and easier removal.

Once all the fragments of the wisdom tooth have been removed, the dentist might stitch up the incision to prevent infection or leave it open to allow a blood clot that accelerates the healing process. They will also place a folded cotton gauze on the surgical wound to help stop excess bleeding. Your dentist will also advise you on how to take care of the wound throughout the healing process.

For more information on wisdom teeth extraction, get in touch with Dr. Fontenot right away.