When we are young and our baby teeth fall out we are actually excited. That’s because we believe that a tiny woman in a fairy outfit is going to come take our teeth from under our pillow and bring us money. Unfortunately when it comes to wisdom teeth removal the only money involved is that which we need to give to the dentist or oral surgeon.
Many people begin to have trouble with these molars when they are teenagers. Some people are lucky in that they never have wisdom teeth at all. Others have only two or three. But many people have all four and they start to cause troubles before they even erupt. This calls for impacted wisdom teeth removal which is a fairly serious procedure.
Although some dentists are comfortable and have the necessary equipment to do a standard tooth extraction in their office, impacted wisdom teeth removal is more complicated. It generally calls for the patient to be given a general anesthetic and is treated just like any other surgery. An oral surgeon is likely to have a surgery suite in which he or she performs these operations with the aid of trained staff.
Once you’ve been told that you need to have this done it can feel a bit overwhelming. Realizing that you are going to be given a general anesthetic and that you’ll face a recovery period may deter you from going through with the wisdom teeth removal procedure. However, leaving these teeth in can be more risky than the wisdom teeth removal itself. If your mouth doesn’t have room for these teeth and they aren’t removed you can face teeth crowding, an abscess and even jaw damage.
After an initial consultation in which you are given information about the costs involved, the recovery process and the actual wisdom teeth removal procedure, you’ll book an appointment to have it done. It’s essential that someone go with you the day of the operation and stay with you for several hours afterwards. Although you will walk out of the office yourself after the wisdom teeth removal is done, you’ll be very groggy and tired. It’s common for a person to experience substantial pain and bleeding afterwards.
You’ll likely be prescribed an antibiotic to lessen the chance of infection and be given instructions for how to cleanse your mouth. For an impacted wisdom teeth removal operation, stitches that dissolve with be used and you’ll be told how to care for those as well. Be prepared to forgo things like popcorn, hard nuts and sunflower seeds for a few months after the operation. But it’s all worth it, as you’ll never have to worry about your wisdom teeth causing any dental problems again.
