When we approach early adulthood, up to four new teeth could arrive. Known as wisdom teeth, or third molars, these could cause serious trouble for the health, function, and beauty of your smile. In today’s blog, your Santa Rosa , CA, oral and maxillofacial surgeons talk about removing wisdom teeth with oral surgery.
The Dangers of Your Third Molars
Our teeth have evolved over the past several millennia to comfortably accommodate 28 teeth. But when the wisdom teeth arrive, this pushes 32 teeth in the same space. As a result, for many the arrival of the wisdom teeth could cause a painful partial eruption known as an impaction, as well as dental misalignment, bite imbalance, damaged teeth, and dental infection. They could upset the health, beauty, and function of your smile all at once. Which is why we recommend removing them before they even erupt, and will do so as the patient reaches their late teens or early 20s.
Extraction
We begin by taking detailed images of your smile with CBCT scanning technology and digital x-rays, so we can identify the location of these teeth and plan the extraction. We then administer a local anesthetic and dental sedation to help you enter a calm state, with little to no memory of the procedure at all. We open the area of the gums above them, and gently extract the teeth with a pair of forceps. We then use special medication to preserve the extraction site and prevent complications. The entire process could often take as little as 30 minutes to complete.
Aftercare
Sedation often takes time to wear off completely, so you should have a friend or family member on hand to bring you home. At home for the first day or two, eat only soft foods, avoid straws and tobacco products, and don’t prod the site with your tongue. Take any prescribed medications as instructed, and brush and floss gently. In a follow-up visit we will remove sutures if any were given, and make sure the area is healing properly. You can usually return to normal activities after a day or two of rest. If you have any questions about how we protect smiles by removing third molars before they erupt, then contact our team today. We can also help if they’ve already arrived and altered your smile, removing them so you can start orthodontic care to correct your smile.
Do You Have Questions About Tooth Extraction?
We would like to help teens and adults alike avoid the complications of untreated third molars. To learn more about how we perform a safe and comfortable oral surgery, then schedule a consultation by calling Santa Rosa Oral Surgery in Santa Rosa, CA, today at 707-545-4625.
