Many patients in their late teens think that the teeth they currently have are the only teeth they will have. However, they are wrong. When you progress into your early twenties, your wisdom teeth, which are the molars way back in your mouth, will begin to break through your gums and even erupt to the surface.
Some patients have immense difficulty when wisdom teeth appear since they can cause pain, while others do not even know they are there at all. Whether your wisdom teeth are causing you agony or not, your dentist in Newport Beach will most likely tell you to have your wisdom teeth extracted.
Many oral surgeons will agree that knowing more about your wisdom teeth and how they act can make it more straightforward when it comes to handling issues that come about and the necessity for extraction. Here are some common questions patients ask us about wisdom teeth:
Do We All Have Wisdom Teeth?
No, not everybody is born with all of their teeth. As a matter of fact, it is not unusual for some patients not to have their wisdom teeth ever appear since they are the most genetically common missing teeth.
How Will I Know There Is A Problem With My Wisdom Teeth?
The dentist in Newport Beach informs us that you will usually feel pain in the upper or lower jaw, which is also the first symptom that wisdom teeth are causing problems. You may feel pressure in the back of your mouth. Additionally, the gum tissue surrounding the erupting wisdom tooth is normally sensitive, swollen and inflamed.
Nevertheless, some patients feel no pain at all. However, the absence of pain does not always signify that there isn’t an issue. This is the reason why you should have your wisdom teeth examined by a dentist to find out if extraction is the right procedure for you.
Is Removal Unavoidable?
If you are suffering from impacted wisdom teeth, which makes good oral hygiene a challenge, it is recommended to have them extracted.
When teeth erupt straight and in a functional position, they do not necessarily have to be removed. As long as they are not causing you any pain or discomfort and are not related to any decay or gum disease.
Still, even wisdom teeth that come in properly can lead to issues over time since they are so inaccessible at the back of the mouth and troublesome to clean. Therefore, if you choose to keep your wisdom teeth, make sure to brush and floss them well, and visit your dentist regularly.
What Happens When A Wisdom Tooth Is Impacted?
It is normal for people to have impacted wisdom teeth. These are teeth buried, either partially or completely, in the soft tissue or jaw bone and are more vulnerable to disease and other issues.
The issue is you can’t clean impacted wisdom teeth thoroughly, so they begin to decay, and you can develop gum disease. Also, cysts or tumors can develop around the impacted teeth, but this is uncommon.
Normally, dentists gauge impacted teeth on a case-by-case basis to ascertain whether to remove them. If the patient’s wisdom tooth is fully impacted in bone and X-rays reveal that an eruption is unlikely, your dentist will advise you to remove the tooth to avoid further issues.
What Happens During Surgery?
Typically, wisdom tooth surgery takes about 45 minutes or less. Your dentist will provide you with one of these types of anesthesia so you do not feel any pain during the removal.
Local: Your dentist will numb your mouth with a shot of local anesthetics such as novocaine, lidocaine, or mepivacaine. He or she may also provide you nitrous oxide, or laughing gas to make you relax or even nod off during surgery. You should begin to feel awake very soon afterward.
IV Sedation: Your dental surgeon will numb your mouth and will also provide you with drugs through a vein in your arm to make you doze off. You might be snoozing throughout the entire procedure.
General: The surgeon will give you drugs through a vein or else make you breathe in gas through a mask. You will be fast asleep throughout the whole procedure and might not be awake for an hour or more after the surgery.
What Issues Can Happen After Removal?
After an extraction occurs, the patient may feel mild to moderate pain, which is normal. However, other complications are possible. Here is a summary of what to expect and how your dentist will most probably treat each circumstance:
Pain: It is very possible for some pain and swelling to develop when it comes to all extractions. In many instances, non-steroidal anti-inflammatories combined with a limited dose of narcotic medications can help control most pain. Dentists usually recommend ice for the first 24 hours to reduce the swelling.
Dry socket: Although very uncommon, it is a possible complication following the surgery. It usually happens four to seven days after a tooth is extracted, when the blood clot required for healing disappears too quickly. Dentists frequently treat it with an oral antiseptic solution or a specialized dressing contingent on the severity of the pain.
Subperiosteal Abscess: This is a pus pocket that occurs when bone and tissue debris are trapped between the healing extraction socket and the tissue covering the bone. A dentist can drain the abscess and prescribe you with antibiotics to help fight any infection.
Bacterial Infections: Postoperative bacterial infections are very uncommon, happening in less than 6 percent of all cases. Your dentist may provide you with a dose of antibiotics before surgery to avoid issues with infection. After your wisdom tooth extraction surgery, antiseptic mouth rinses or additional antibiotic regimens are sometimes required.
Are There Any Ways To Avoid Problems With Your Wisdom Teeth?
At the end of the day, you have very little control over how your wisdom teeth are going to behave. Besides maintaining good oral hygiene practices and visiting your dentist in Newport Beach on a regular basis, there isn’t any more a person can do or needs to do.