Protect Your Oral Health
Wisdom teeth are an extra set of molars that usually erupt during your late teens or early twenties. While some peoples’ wisdom teeth erupt without issues, this is rare. Most patients don’t have enough space in their arch to accommodate wisdom teeth, leading to a variety of potential issues that can be avoided by having them removed ahead of time.
Learn about our wisdom tooth removal process and how we’ll ensure you feel comfortable throughout your treatment.
What Is An Impacted Wisdom Tooth?
An impacted wisdom tooth is one that’s blocked properly from erupting — this can be due to a lack of space in your jaw, interference from an adjacent tooth, or other factors. Unfortunately, the vast majority of patients will have impacted wisdom teeth and need them removed to protect their health.
Without treatment, impacted wisdom teeth can result in severe pain, oral infections, a misaligned bite, and other complications over time. Thankfully, we can use x-rays to monitor how your wisdom teeth are erupting and remove them at the first sign of trouble.
Symptoms of Impacted Wisdom Teeth
In addition to the long-term effects mentioned above, common symptoms of impacted wisdom teeth include:
- Bad breath
- Pain or tenderness in your gums and jaw
- Difficulty opening your mouth
- Headaches and jaw aches
- Swelling of the lymph nodes around your neck
- Swollen or bleeding gums
Our Wisdom Teeth Removal Process
We’ll begin your treatment by administering an anesthetic to numb the area around your teeth. This will ensure your extraction is comfortable and pain-free. Once your mouth is numb, one of our dentists will separate your wisdom teeth from your gum tissue. This provides easy access to your tooth for quick and gentle removal.
Once all your impacted teeth have been removed, we’ll stitch up your gums to start the healing process. Recovering from wisdom tooth extraction only takes a few days — we’ll recommend that you refrain from physical activity and avoid certain foods while your surgical area is still sensitive.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you’re undergoing sedation or general anesthetic for your procedure, you won’t be able to eat or drink for six hours before your surgery. Otherwise, you don’t need to worry about eating before an extraction.
Once the treatment is complete, you may need to avoid certain foods for a few days while your mouth heals. Otherwise, you can enjoy your meals without restrictions.
This depends on the type of anesthetic or sedation used for your procedure. If you receive general anesthesia or sedation, you’ll need to arrange for a ride home. However, if you’re only given local anesthetic, you’ll be able to drive without any issues.
In most cases, you likely won’t be able to drive yourself home, so it’s always a good idea to plan for a ride even if you’re not certain you’ll need it.
No — there are some cases when patients’ wisdom teeth erupt without any issues, though this is rare. It’s not always easy to tell exactly how an emerging tooth will come in, so we’ll use detailed x-rays to monitor the growth of your wisdom teeth and recommend removing them at the first sign of a problem.
In the unusual case that your wisdom teeth erupt in an upright, functional position, you may not need an extraction.
Many patients fear having their wisdom teeth removed because they assume it will be painful. In fact, not removing impacted wisdom teeth will result in far greater pain than anything you’ll experience during treatment.
Rest assured, we’ll numb your mouth before the procedure to ensure your experience is as comfortable as possible. We’ll also provide you with detailed aftercare instructions to aid a smooth recovery.
Schedule Your Consultation Today
If you need to have your wisdom teeth removed, look no further than Comfy Smile Dental. Our experienced dentists can ensure a gentle extraction while prioritizing your health and safety at all times. Schedule your appointment today by calling our Davie office at (954) 251-0804.