What Adults Should Expect During Wisdom Tooth Removal

Wisdom teeth are a third set of molars that come between the age of 16 and 25 in the back of your mouth. There comes a time when you want your wisdom tooth to be removed. Perhaps your dentist has asked you to do so. To get back to normal it might take few days. But why do we need to take out the wisdom tooth? Read on to know more.

People remove their wisdom tooth due to the following reasons:

1. Impacted- Since wisdom teeth are at extreme back in your mouth, they might fail to come out normally. They can get trapped in your gums or jawbones and can become very painful.
2. Small Mouth- Your mouth is not big enough and there is no place for extra molars.
3. Wrong angle- They could come in wrong angle and press against other teeth.
4. Gum disease/ Cavities- If your mouth has cavities it becomes difficult to reach wisdom tooth with dental floss and toothbrush.

What to expect before surgery?

For removal of wisdom tooth, you will have to meet oral surgeon. During this meet ensure that you:

1. Discuss all the health problems that you have.
2. Clear your queries related to surgery.
3. Tell about the medicines that you take regularly.
4. Discuss the type of anesthesia that you want during surgery.
5. Postpone all your important works as you need to take rest after the surgery.

What to expect during surgery?

1. The surgery will take around 45 minutes.
2. Your doctor may cut your gums to get the teeth out. The stitches will dissolve in few days.
3. To relive you from the pain during surgery, you will get one of these types of anesthesia:

(a) Local- By giving a shot of Novocaine in your gums, your doctor will numb your mouth.

(b) General- Your surgeon will give you drugs through a vein or make you breathe gas through a mask. By this you will be asleep throughout the surgery and will wake up only after an hour or so after the surgery.

(c) IV sedation- To numb your mouth and make you drowsy, you will be given drugs through a vein in your arm. By this you will sleep during the whole procedure.

What to expect after surgery?

To recover quickly, follow your doctor’s instruction. You can follow the mentioned Dos and Don’ts after the surgery.

Dos:

1. To restrain swelling you can use an ice pack.
2. For sore jaw, use moist heat.
3. Eat soft foods like rice, pasta and soup.
4. Open and close your mouth gently.
5. Drink plenty of liquids.
6. Take the medicines prescribed by your doctor.
7. Visit your doctor in case the pain or swelling doesn’t reduce.

Don’ts:

1. Sucking through straw may loosen blood clots. So avoid using straw.
2. Do not eat sticky, hard and crunchy food.
3. Avoid rinsing your mouth harshly.
4. Do not smoke as it impacts your healing badly.