Common Questions and Concerns Patients Have About Wisdom Teeth Extractions.
The ages of 17 and 25 are considered the “age of wisdom”... they’re also the age ranges of when your wisdom teeth come in, hence the name, but the wisdom is not included with their arrival.
As a matter of fact, lots of people don’t even notice when their wisdom teeth come in but at some point in your teen to young adult life, you’re probably going to be told that you need yours removed.
Is Wisdom Teeth Extraction Really Needed?
The fact that your mouth did all this hard work to grow wisdom teeth, only to have them removed has made lots of people question whether or not wisdom teeth removal is even necessary to our oral hygiene.
The question of if wisdom teeth extraction is really necessary or if it is a waste of consumer time and money has been one of the biggest concerns among patients lately.
According to the National Center for Biotechnology and Information, research from recent studies show indications that dental offices might be putting patients through the expensive and painful procedure of teeth extraction for no real reason.
Well, to put your mind at ease, if you are beginning to wonder if wisdom teeth extractions are truly necessary, there are definitely certain circumstances that warrant a trip to the orthodontist.
Wisdom teeth have the potential to cause tooth decay, become infected, and damage the surrounding teeth. In addition to that, impacted wisdom teeth also can cause cysts and extreme pain in the jaw, so there is s huge need for wisdom teeth extraction.
If you have in the past or currently are experiencing pain from wisdom teeth, you need to make an appointment today to remove that pain and prevent it from coming back.
Now that the question of whether or not wisdom teeth extraction is really necessary, let’s take a look at some of the other questions and concerns that people have about getting their wisdom teeth removed.
Question 1: How do you know when the pain you’re feeling is due to your wisdom teeth?
Answer: If you feel pain in your upper or lower jaw, that can actually be the first sign that your wisdom teeth are the “root” cause of the pain you’re experiencing.
You might feel mild to severe pressure at the back of your mouth and the gum around the wisdom tooth may become extremely sensitive and swollen. If you’re experiencing that sensation, your gums are also probably inflamed and in need of dental care.
Question 2: What happens when a wisdom tooth becomes impacted?
Answer: When a wisdom tooth becomes impacted, that means that the tooth is fully or partially buried in the jaw bone, making it more prone to disease and infection.
The reason they have a high chance of getting infected is that there’s no way to properly clean wisdom teeth… they’re buried in the jaw bone, remember, so because of that, the tooth is susceptible to tooth decay and gum disease. Cysts and tumors can also form in the gum tissue as well.
Now, your dentist will look at your impacted teeth by way of x-rays to determine whether or not to remove them. Removal is typically done on a case-by-case basis but if a tooth is fully impacted, even if the patient isn’t experiencing any symptoms, the dentist will usually recommend extraction for preventative measures.
*The preventative measures are what’s making people feel like wisdom teeth extraction isn’t necessary, especially when the patient isn’t feeling any type of pain from in. The thing that people fail to realize is that prevention is key to lots of things. A woman might not be pregnant right now but she has the potential to get pregnant, therefore, she has the option to use some form of contraception… that’s prevention.
The same applies to wisdom teeth extraction… you might have an impacted wisdom tooth that’s not bothering you right now but it has the potential to cause pain and other oral health issues later on down the line as time goes on, therefore, you have the option to get that tooth extracted… that’s also prevention.*
Question 3: What’s the best way to prepare for a wisdom tooth extraction procedure?
Answer: Well, there are quite a few things you would need to do to prepare for such a procedure, and although the procedure is pretty common and routine for dentists, it’s still a major procedure.
For one, you’ll definitely want to find someone to accompany you for your procedure to drive you back home safely because you’ll be under anesthetics.
Secondly, for patients who have a fear of the dentist, you might want to consider taking vitamins for stress and anxiety to calm your nerves before the procedure but consult with your dentist first.
Lastly and most importantly, make sure you stock your home with plenty of soft foods to eat after your procedure. Foods like jello, ice cream, pudding, etc are all going to be detrimental to the proper healing of your treatment area.
Foods that require rigorous chewing can cause your wound to bleed and lead to possible infection but before and after your procedure, your dentist will give you specific instructions on how to care for your mouth following the procedure.