Before removing a wisdom tooth, your dentist will give you a local anesthetic to numb the area where the tooth will be removed. Your dentist might recommend that you don't eat or drink after midnight on the night before surgery, so you don’t fell nauseated during the procedure.
To remove the wisdom tooth, your dentist will open up the gum tissue over the tooth if needed and take out any bone that is covering the tooth. He will then remove the tooth. Sometimes the dentist will cut the tooth into smaller pieces to make it easier to remove.
After the tooth is removed, you may need stitches. Some stitches dissolve over time and some have to be removed after a few days. Your dentist will tell you whether your stitches need to be removed. A folded cotton gauze pad placed over the wound will help stop the bleeding.
In most cases, the recovery period lasts only a few days. Take painmeds as prescribed by your dentist.
The following tips will help speed your recovery.
Your dentist will remove the stitches after a few days, if needed.
A wisdom tooth is extracted to correct an actual problem or to prevent problems that may come up in the future. When wisdom teeth come in, a number of problems can occur:
Your jaw may not be large enough to accommodate them, and they may become impacted and unable to break through your gums.
Your wisdom teeth may break partway through your gums, causing a flap of gum tissue to grow over them. Food and germs can become trapped under the flap and cause your gums to become red, swollen, and painful. These are signs of infection.
More serious problems can develop from impacted teeth, such as infection, damage to other teeth and bone, or the development of a cyst.
One or more of your wisdom teeth may come in at an awkward angle, with the top of the tooth facing forward, backward, or to either side and can damage other teeth in the mouth.