Removal Of Wisdom Teeth

Wisdom tooth usually comes out at the age of 16 to 26. Generally, adults have four wisdom teeth but very few could have more which are called supernumerary teeth. The other teeth in the mouth are affected by the wisdom teeth. Traditionally a wisdom tooth is associated with adulthood. It is necessary to understand the procedure of removal of wisdom teeth.

Studies show that complications regarding the wisdom tooth extraction and healing increase with age. The complications occur when the person reaches in late twenties. However, complications can be seen in younger cases too. The removal of wisdom teeth is required in various conditions. One needs to have the wisdom tooth extracted in case if the gum is infected, the tooth has decayed or if the wisdom tooth is affecting the adjacent tooth. When the wisdom tooth grows partially into the mouth and gets stuck due to lack of space in the jaws it needs to be removed. This is called the tooth being impacted.

Wisdom teeth commonly do not have enough room to be properly erupted into our mouth where they can become fully functional. This results in unhealthy teeth and teeth decay. Wisdom teeth are not visible rather they are hidden at the end in the mouth. It is generally advised to take x- rays periodically to know the exact problem when there is even a slight pain in the tooth.

A dentist or an oral surgeon can extract a wisdom tooth. The process of extracting the tooth is done in the dentist's clinic or in the hospital. In case of surgery, the extraction is done in the hospital. The surgery is performed immediately in case of complications but if there is an infection then the surgery is delayed. The dentist or the specialist first removes the infection and after the infection is cleared then only surgery is performed. Most of the doctors give antibiotics to clear the infection.

Before the dentist starts with the pulling out of the tooth, the surgeon gives a local anesthesia so that patients do not feel the pain. Due to anesthesia, the area from where the tooth is being removed becomes numb and causes sleepiness. The gum tissue that covers the tooth is opened and then the bone that is covering the mouth is taken out. The tissue that connects the tooth and the bone is separated. At times the specialist has to cut down the tooth into small pieces so that, it is can become easy to take out the tooth. It is mostly recommended by the dentists not to eat or take drinks at night before the surgery.

Some patients require stitches after the removal of the wisdom teeth. Many times stitches dissolve on their own in a short period of time otherwise they have to be disposed of by the dentist after a certain period. The dentist gives this information whether to do away with the stitches in the hospital or not.