A wisdom tooth extraction might be recommended if one of your wisdom teeth develops issues or erupts abnormally. These are the last set of molars to emerge, and they usually come in around the ages of 17 to 21. It can take up to two weeks to recover from having wisdom teeth extracted, depending on how fast you heal.
Wisdom teeth are a relic of evolution, and they are the only set of teeth that are not needed. They erupt after all your other permanent teeth have surfaced, so there is not always enough space on the jaw for them.
Besides being the most likely set of teeth to be impacted as they erupt, wisdom teeth are also more prone to decay. Their location in the back of the mouth makes it harder to reach and clean them with a toothbrush or dental floss. They also have deep grooves that provide an ideal location for food particles and bacteria that convert food into teeth-damaging acids.
Wisdom tooth extraction is often recommended when issues develop with the last set of molars. Removing them has no adverse effect on the patient’s dental or overall health.
Extracting a wisdom tooth requires oral surgery, and the dentist might need to make an incision into the patient’s gums if the tooth is impacted. The patient is given a shot of a local anesthetic so they do not feel any pain as the dentist removes their tooth. General anesthesia might be used if the patient opts to have all of their wisdom teeth removed at once.
There will be some bleeding for the first few hours after an extraction. The patient will be asked to bite down on a piece of gauze to help stop the bleeding. The patient will also experience some pain and discomfort once the anesthetic wears off. This is typically managed with prescription painkillers.
Patients should stick to liquid and soft foods for the first week after getting a tooth extracted. Trying to chew hard foods can irritate the extracted tooth's socket and lead to the clot that forms on it becoming dislodged. This results in a condition called dry socket. Using a straw during the first week of recovery can also lead to the clot becoming dislodged.
The first three days are the most crucial period during recovery, and it is best to avoid consuming coffee, alcohol, and tobacco products. These things are known to slow down the healing process. Most of the pain and discomfort should have subsided after a week, so the main thing the patient has to focus on at that point is not irritating the extraction site. Other things patients can do to speed up the recovery process include:
Extracting wisdom teeth treats any issue that has developed in them, and it spares you the agony of dealing with other problems in the future. Give us a call or visit our Saratoga Springs clinic to set up an appointment with our dentist.
Request an appointment here: https://www.mysaratogadentist.com or call My Saratoga Dentist PLLC at (518) 675-3094 for an appointment in our Saratoga Springs office.
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