Wisdom Teeth Removal
Oral and maxillofacial surgeons can remove a wisdom tooth. If you have infections, surgery will be delayed till the infection has cleared up. Before performing the treatment, your dentist will give you a local anesthetic to numb the area where the treatment will be performed. A general anesthetic will be used if all your wisdom teeth will be removed at the same time. This prevents pain and can make you sleep throughout the procedure. You should not eat or drink after midnight on the night prior to surgery to be prepared for the anesthetic.
Wisdom tooth extraction procedure
In order to remove the wisdom tooth, your dentist will open the gum tissue of the tooth and take out bone that is covering the tooth. Your dentist will isolate the tissue connecting the tooth to the bone and then remove the tooth. In some cases, the dentist will cut the tooth into smaller pieces to make it easy to remove. You may need stitches in some cases. Some stitches dissolve over time while some have to be taken out after a few days. A folded cotton gauze pad is placed over the wound to help stop the bleeding.
Why Wisdom tooth extraction?
A wisdom tooth extraction is performed due to following reasons:
Your jaw may not be large enough and they may become impacted and unable to break through your gums. Your wisdom teeth may break through your gums and cause a flap of gum tissue to grow. Foods and germs can get accumulated under the flap and cause your gums to become swollen, red and painful. These are some of the signs of infection. More serious concerns will develop from impacted teeth such as infection and damage to teeth or cyst. One of your wisdom teeth may come at awkward angle with the top of the tooth facing backward, forward and on either side. Wisdom tooth removal prevents crowding of back teeth and a wisdom tooth becoming stuck in the jaw and breaking through the teeth