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A wisdom tooth refers to one of the molars that grow last at the far back of the jaws usually much later than other teeth. They are also often times impacted which causes brushing and closing problems and at times pain. That and the fact that with our modern day diets they are no longer essential, make wisdom teeth a good candidate for extraction. While it sounds very daunting, it is a more common procedure than you think. With the right choice of a family dentist and for the right reasons, the wisdom teeth removal process should be a rather straightforward one with minimal chances of complications. Here is what to expect in a nutshell.

What to expect with wisdom tooth removal?

As with most other dental procedures, your dentist should take several X-ray scans during first session to determine whether or not there is need to remove.  Once both your doctor and you are convinced of the need to go ahead with the procedure, the next appointment is set for actual removal.

First you will be given a shot of local anesthetic to eliminate the pain in your gums and jaw. If you are feeling very nervous, you can request for an additional sedative. This fact should be highlighted much earlier during consultation with your Las Vegas dentist, so your doctor can prepare a nice cocktail to knock you out. There will be several options available. Perhaps it is best to let your doctor decide just how sedated you need to be for this one.

The dentist will then wait until the anesthetic has been effective and then use their tools to firs make surrounding gums lose and then remove the tooth. There is not supposed to be any level of pain whatsoever during the entire process. Nevertheless, you will feel the pull and pressure as the tooth gently emerges.

Hopefully, you will not require a further surgical operation to remove your impacted tooth. Here’s how to tell whether you need one.

Is surgery necessary for wisdom tooth removal?

The answer is yes, surgery may be necessary depending on what the initial x-ray scans reveal about the position of the wisdom tooth. This is common when the tooth is impacted or broken such that surgery is required to remove the pieces one by one. This is for your doctor to decide on the best course of action with your approval of course but mostly nothing to worry about. In this case, due to the more invasive nature of the procedure, it is prudent that you accept a mild sedative to calm you down . please not that you will not be completely under.

Usually surgery is required in critical cases where the toot is also covered by gum tissue or is fully impacted and has not emerged from the jawbone. Tools include the much dreaded but mostly harmless miniature drills among other special tools.

Is wisdom tooth removal for me?

Naturally, wisdom teeth should cause some mild level of discomfort when they emerge. These may include gum irritation but not persistent pain. With our diets fully changed, wisdom teeth are often left with no function and the human body has evolved to a lengthened arch leaving little room for the last teeth.  When these grow they do so at an angle causing trouble with other molars. This may result in pain, breakage or a good hiding place for food particles making brushing a problem.

In all cases, your doctor with the aid a state of the art x-ray dental imaging system will decide on the best way to solve your dental problems.  It is from these scans that your doctor will inform you whether or not a surgery is necessary.

Recovery period after wisdom tooth removal

After a successful removal, you should recover quickly and you can go to work the following day. you can also walk home but in case you need it, you can call someone for emotional support. The mouth and gums affected are expected to heal incredibly fast provided you do not disobey your doctors directions.

They will ask you to bite down on sterilized gauze to stop bleeding which you will do for approximately twenty to thirty minutes. After this you can ask for the doctor’s permission to leave the dental office. You will now only talk when it’s absolutely necessary which is mostly involuntary.

For the next 48 hours, you will be expected to stay away from extremely hot or hard foods as these will stall the healing process. Swelling may go on for a few days and diminish slowly and minor discomfort is also expected. You will not be prescribed any pain medication unless the surgery was overly invasive and you are in a high level of pain after the procedure.

Mild painkillers might help you sleep better but should also be used cautiously as always. After just two days since the tooth extraction procedure, you can resume your normal routines barely noticing the discomfort.

Although most people are nervous about seeing a dentist particularly for tooth extraction, knowing what awaits you could help ease the anxiety. There is nothing wrong with getting rid of a bad tooth to save the ones that are functional. It will save you a great deal of pain and money too. This particular procedure is far way too common than you might think and the best dentists perform one every other week.

What’s next?

In the end, you realize that the minor discomfort of having an impacted tooth removed is nothing compared to that of keeping it a lifetime. Or at least until the pan is unbearable in which case the damage to neighboring teeth is usually already done. If you think you need the wisdom tooth removal procedure, the best thing to do is to book an appointment with your family dentist at the earliest opportunity. It may not be an emergency situation but simply putting it off means you will only do it when it’s too late for adjacent molars.

 

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