Wisdom Tooth Extraction

Wisdom teeth, officially referred to as third molars, are usually the last teeth to develop. They are upper and lower teeth whose function is to grind food as part of the digestive process. They are located in the very back of your mouth, next to your second (or twelve year) molars and near the entrance to your throat. They usually complete development between the ages of 15 and 20, a time traditionally associated with the onset of maturity and the attainment of Wisdom.

Since the wisdom teeth are the last to develop, they will not have enough room to adequately erupt into the mouth to become fully functional teeth. The lack of room or space can result in a number of harmful effects on your overall dental health. When this occurs they are said to be impacted, indicating their inability to erupt into an alignment, which will allow them to be able to function in the chewing process.

In most cases the absolute answer is no. Unless you have been told that you have a life-altering disease process (which is unlikely), you don’t have to do anything until or unless YOU chose to do so. This is not critical, life-saving, emergency medical treatment. It is elective. We understand, however, that we can identify problematic patients early in their teens and treat them when the impact of the surgery is minimal and their ability to recover is at its maximum.

If it is recognized that you do not have enough room in your mouth for your third molars to erupt, it is advisable to have them removed as soon as it is recognized. In some patients it is as early as 11 or 12 whereas in others it may not be until 17 or 18 years of age. You will heal faster, with more predictable final healing and have fewer complications than an older patient.

Many people, especially in years past, were told to take a “wait and see” approach to wisdom teeth. Many who did not have adequate room developed localized problems previously mentioned. The problem with this approach is that IF it is necessary to remove impacted wisdom teeth in your thirties, forties, fifties, or beyond, it is clearly more difficult for you as the patient. The post-operative course is usually prolonged and there is a higher complication rate. Treating these complications is more difficult than with a younger patient. IF you do not have your impacted wisdom teeth removed in your teenage years or early in your twenties, it may be advisable to wait until or unless a localized problem (such as cyst formation or localized gum disease and bone loss) develops and then treat the affected area only. This is because the predictability of healing decreases with age and the likelihood of infection and delayed healing increases.

There is probably never a good time to undergo an elective procedure such as wisdom teeth removal. We recommend that the surgical appointment doesn’t conflict dramatically with school activities. The most ‘popular’ times for wisdom teeth removal is during the summer and school vacations. The bottom line is that with adequate preparation, any time will work for most people IF they have planned accordingly in advance.

First of all, you need to decide if you will be sedated (‘go to sleep’). Most people clearly prefer to be unaware of the experience when they have their Wisdom teeth removed. You will be provided with appropriate anesthesia options for you at your consultation.

On the day of your procedure, you will take medications to help minimize post-operative pain and swelling. We ask that a parent or responsible adult accompanies you to the office, where they must remain during the entire procedure and they should plan on staying with you the rest of the day. Your procedure will take about an hour and you will probably be in the office for 1 ½ -2 hours. Our surgical assistants will review your post-operative instructions. When you leave the office you will be comfortable and drowsy. Most patients prefer to go home and rest with no other physical or scholastic activities planned for a few days.

Most of the time you will want to maintain a low profile for a few days. We ask that you follow your post-operative instructions closely as they will make you most comfortable during the first few days following your procedure. Please allow the time to let your body begin healing before resuming an active social, academic, or athletic schedule. Most patients feel like they are over the hump in 3-5 days

As with any medical procedure, there can be complications or an unanticipated result that you should be aware of:

There is a nerve, which supplies feeling to the lower lip, chin, and tongue which is frequently very close to the roots of the lower wisdom teeth. Having these teeth out between the ages of 12 and 18 usually provides shorter roots so that the nerve is not so close to the roots of these teeth. Occasionally, when the teeth are removed, especially in older patients, the roots have grown longer and become closer to the nerve itself. This nerve can become irritated in the process of removing the tooth. When local anesthesia wears off, you may experience a tingling or numb sensation in the lower lip, chin, or tongue. Should this occur, it is usually temporary and will resolve gradually over a period of weeks or months. RARELY, it can result in a permanent alteration of sensation similar to the feeling of Novocain®. We feel that you should be aware of this before consenting to surgery.

The upper wisdom teeth are situated close to your sinuses and their removal can result in a communication between your mouth and the sinus. Once again, if the teeth are removed at an early age, the root formation is minimal and this complication is very unlikely to occur. Should this occur, it will usually close spontaneously. We may give you special instructions to follow if this is apparent at the time of surgery. We prefer that you don’t blow your nose for two or three days following the surgery. You can wipe your nose, but don’t blow your nose. If you have to sneeze, you should sneeze with an open mouth into a tissue – – you should not create any pressure in the sinus area, which may dislodge the healing blood clot. If you sense a communication occurring after the surgery, please contact the office. RARELY, an additional procedure may be necessary to close the communication. The most common problem encountered following surgery of any kind is infection. This usually requires an office visit and clinical examination. Many times, just placing you on an antibiotic for one week will take care of the infection. It will occasionally require drainage of the infected area, which may have accumulated near the surgical site, and even more rarely do the patients need to be admitted to the hospital for intravenous antibiotics and further surgical drainage.

Other temporary problems you may experience in the postoperative period include stiffness of the jaws, chafing around the corners of your lips, facial bruising, and blood oozing from the extraction sites. 

If you do experience ny pain or concers, please contact us and we wll get you in to see the dentist right away. 

Because of the different types of impacted wisdom teeth, along with different anesthesia options, it is impossible to give you a realistic estimate of what our services will cost until we have reviewed your x-rays. Every insurance company has a different policy regarding the extent of coverage for a given surgical procedure. We encourage you to check with dental insurance carrier to determine your coverage and out of pocket liability.

We recognize that having your Wisdom teeth out is NOT something you really want to do. We also realize that with an active schedule there is never a really good time to have this done. 

Our services are provided in an environment of optimum safety that utilizes modern monitoring equipment and staff who are experienced in anesthesia techniques.