Wisdom Tooth Removal

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Wisdom Tooth Removal
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Unfortunately, many people have problems with wisdom teeth. Very frequently, there is not enough room for them to erupt into the arch normally, or they attempt to come in sideways or have other similar difficulties. They then become impacted, that is, impeded from normal eruption.


If this is the case, our advice is to have them removed at your earliest convenience. Experience has shown that complications from wisdom tooth surgery greatly increase with advancing age. If, however, they can be removed in the late teens or early twenties, complications are much milder and less likely to occur. If they are left alone, as you get older, wisdom teeth can be a source of serious, even life-threatening infections that can swell to close off your breathing or can spread to your brain. Why take those chances when wisdom tooth removal at a young age is such a routine procedure?
(Taking antibiotics for your tooth.)

An impacted wisdom tooth
Although Dr. Hall was a general dentist, he enjoyed oral surgery and only referred out impacted wisdom teeth on rare occasions, when the patient's age and potential for complications was exceptionally high. His incidence of complications from this surgery was low. For example, even with removing hundreds of impacted wisdom teeth, we did not see a dry socket (a common healing complication after the extraction of wisdom teeth) in our office from 1990 until he retired from active practice in 2002. Dr. Hall excelled in oral surgery at dental school, being awarded the oral surgery award of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons for his graduating class.
Procedure and post-operative care
To let you know about the procedure and post-operative care, here is a copy of the handout that we gave our patients to help them prepare for wisdom tooth surgery:


What is an impacted tooth?
When a tooth is prevented from erupting into the mouth normally, it is said to be impacted. The presence of impacted teeth in the mouth is a risk factor for problems such as tooth infection, tooth abscess, cyst formation, or damage to adjacent teeth.

The removal of impacted teeth is an operation, much like any other operation. A flap of tissue has to be opened to gain access to the tooth, and often bone has to be removed and the tooth has to be sectioned. Don't approach this operation casually, and plan for a couple of days' rest afterward to promote good healing. Your jaws will swell considerably and will be very sore. The swelling will make it hard to open your mouth for a few days. You will need to take pain medications for about two to five days afterward, depending on the extent of the surgery and your body's response to it. Plan on a diet of soft foods for up to a week. You will also have general body weakness for a few days.

We will provide you with written instructions on how to cleanse the area of the surgery, how to control abnormal bleeding, and other aspects of post-operative care. Follow these instructions carefully for best healing results.

Possible complications

In the lower jaw, particularly, there may be a healing complication known as a dry socket. This ordinarily occurs in about 10 to 15% of patients, although we see it rarely in our office. With dry socket, healing progresses normally for about three days, and then there is a dramatic increase in pain in the socket and radiating to the ear. If this happens to you, call the office for treatment.

Sometimes sharp edges of bone may surface during the healing process. This does not necessarily need to be treated. They occur because of the body's work of reshaping the tissues in the area formerly occupied by the tooth. Unless the edges cause great discomfort, it would be best to let them alone, and the healing processes will smooth them out.

The roots of lower wisdom teeth may lie near the main nerve to the lower jaw, and the crowns may be near the nerve to the tongue. In about 1 to 2% of the cases, these nerves could be damaged during removal of the tooth. The result would be numbness in the lips, chin, and teeth on the side affected, or in the side of the ....