One of today's most common dental procedures, wisdom teeth extraction is done either in a dentist's office or hospital. Depending upon how many of the teeth are being extracted, a dentist will give either a local or general anesthetic to control pain during the procedure.
Surgery
To remove the teeth, the dentist opens the gum tissue around each tooth, then removes any bone that may be covering the tooth. To finish the procedure, the dentist will then separate the tissue that connects the tooth to the bone, then remove the tooth. In some cases where the tooth may be coming in at an awkward angle or the teeth may be compacted, the dentist will cut the tooth into smaller pieces so that it can be more easily removed.
After the teeth have been removed, stitches are used to close the incisions. Most of today's dentists use self-dissolving stitches that disappear in a few days, but some dentists may use stitches that will need to be removed about a week later.
After the surgery, your dentist will recommend several steps to ensure proper healing takes place. To keep bleeding to a minimum, you'll be told to prop up your head with a pillow, along with using an ice pack on the outside of your cheek for 15-20 minutes several times per day.
Eating After Surgery
When it comes to eating, soft foods will be the staple of your diet for the first several days following surgery. Gelatin, ice cream, pudding, and soup will all let your healing progress well, ensuring you'll be able to add solid foods back to your diet within one or two weeks.
While wisdom teeth are extracted to prevent future dental problems such as jaw pain, infection, or damage to other teeth, the good news is that it's considered to be very effective in helping virtually everyone who has the surgery.
However, for those who have the procedure done before problems develop, the results are outstanding. So even though nobody looks forward to dental surgery, wisdom teeth extraction can be done painlessly and ensures great dental health in the years ahead.
For more information on getting your wisdom tooth or teeth extracted, give our office a call at (208) 855-0080 or submit a contact form for an appointment.