Wisdom Teeth Extractions
Wisdom teeth are so named because they usually surface much later than the teething stage when the rest of your teeth come in. Wisdom teeth usually appear in adults aged 17-25 years old, when the person is “older and wiser”.
Some adults never develop wisdom teeth. However, a majority of adults that have wisdom teeth coming in choose to have the teeth removed. The way to know for sure the best course of action for your mouth is to schedule a visit with one of our dentists.
Reasons For Wisdom Teeth Extraction
Wisdom teeth are extracted for two reasons: the tooth is impacted or the tooth will cause problems in the future if not extracted now.
If a tooth is impacted, it means it is unable to pass through the gums fully. This can result in a variety of complications, such as:
Infection
If a tooth is partially covered by the gums, it can be difficult to clean with a toothbrush. As a result, food particles and bacteria can get caught in this area and lead to infection. Infection can cause jaw and neck pain, redness, swollen gums and difficulty opening your mouth.
Bad Breath
If the gum surrounding the tooth becomes infected, this can also cause bad breath or a bad taste in your mouth.
Crowding
Since wisdom teeth are also known as ‘third molars’, their appearance can lead to crowding of existing teeth. Wisdom teeth can also come in angled sideways, forward or backwards. This can cause the need for orthodontia later down the road.
What To Expect Wisdom Teeth Removal
Recovery after wisdom tooth removal typically lasts a few days for most people. Patients who have had the procedure may experience some bleeding and discomfort. The best way to improve your recovery time from wisdom teeth extraction is to do the following:
• Change your gauze regularly. Your surgery site will bleed, but let your Burleson TX dentist know if the bleeding continues for more than 24 hours.
• Put an icepack on the outside of your mouth to reduce swelling
• Do not use a straw or smoke for the first few days. The sucking motion can loosen the blood clot and slow your healing time.
• After the first 24 hours since your wisdom teeth extraction, rinse your mouth out with warm salt water multiple times a day to clean the area and relieve pain.
Give our office a dental office in Burleson a call today at (817) 295-2031 so we can diagnose whether or not your wisdom teeth need to be removed. And remember, by having wisdom tooth removal surgery now, you could possibly save yourself the costly expense of intensive dental work in the future.
Back