Wisdom Teeth Extractions
Winston-Salem, NC
 Wisdom teeth extraction is a common surgical procedure that many adults go through. It involves extracting one or more wisdom teeth – the last of your teeth to appear in the back of your mouth – as a preventative measure. Dentists often recommend this procedure to avoid future complications and preserve your oral health. The problem usually begins when the wisdom tooth does not have enough room to grow and starts tearing through the gum line resulting in excruciating pain in some cases.
This can lead to infection and other dental complications if untreated for a long time. Upon taking a look at your oral profile, a dentist may suggest you go through this surgery even if the impacted teeth are not causing any issues. If you or a loved one are dealing with complications from a wisdom tooth or fear that it may become an issue in the future, visit us at Gibson & Bartholomew Restorative and Esthetic Dentistry to get it checked right away.
Procedure
Once your case has been examined, one of our dental surgeons will determine whether urgent removal is required or the symptoms can be treated with medication. In most cases, extracting the wisdom teeth is considered an optimal choice. If you get cleared for one, here is what you can expect to happen.
One of our dental surgeons will administer local anesthetic around the impacted tooth to numb the area. The same tooth will then be exposed by making small incisions around it. Once the dentist has adequate access to it, they will loosen it, and lift it from the socket carefully before cleaning and stitching the wound back together.
Recovery
Once the impacted wisdom teeth are removed, the sedation will wear off in a few hours. You might experience mild discomfort and swelling in your mouth followed by bleeding. Your dental surgeon may prescribe you medicine and will give you instructions to alleviate any pain and swelling. The extraction site could take up to a week to heal completely but sometimes it can take longer if the patient is dealing with other health conditions, such as diabetes that tends to slow down healing.
Rest as much as you can to speed up the healing process and avoid any strenuous activity for 24 hours. If the swelling or pain goes up, do not hesitate to put an ice pack near the site of pain. When brushing your teeth, avoid touching the extraction site and don’t swish too hard, as it can lead to dry socket.
In most cases, removing the wisdom teeth does not lead to any side-effects but there are cases where patients developed infection, dry socket, and suffered damage to nearby teeth during the surgery. This happens only in the rarest cases and you can avoid these complications by choosing a reliable dental surgeon.
Feeling pain and discomfort as your wisdom teeth come out is quite common, but if it gets to a point where it is difficult to endure, you must get it checked immediately. Difficulty in eating is also a fairly common symptom but if you see bleeding or having swelling, get in touch with a dentist right away. If you or a close family member are facing any of the issues we talked about today, our polite and friendly staff at Gibson & Bartholomew Restorative and Esthetic Dentistry would be more than happy to see you. If you have any questions or want to book an appointment over the phone, feel free to reach us at (336) 283-2593.
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