Impacted Teeth
Impacted teeth are teeth that put pressure on other teeth as they force their way up through the gums. While the standard molars and other teeth can become impacted, the most common type of impacted teeth are the , or third molars, which are large teeth far in the back of the jaw that often move into the gum later in life. Many people do not have room in their mouth for the wisdom teeth so if they come in, they impact existing molars and can cause pain as well as misalignment and damage to the . Even though a large number of people will never experience problems due to wisdom teeth, many dentists recommend that everyone have all their wisdom teeth extracted as a preventive measure in case they become a problem later in life.
Preparation
Wisdom teeth extraction surgery begins with the application of a local or general anesthetic. Local anesthetic numbs the area where the tooth will be exacted, keeping the patient conscious during the surgery, while general anesthetic puts the patient to sleep. General anesthetic is typically used when multiple wisdom teeth are going to be extracted at the same time. Doctors may also require the patient to forgo eating for a certain amount of time leading up to the surgery.
Extraction
The physical extraction of the wisdom teeth after anesthesia is induced is a rather simple process. The surgeon usually makes an incision to cut away the tissue covering the jawbone, and then a small drill or osteotome (bone saw) is used to clear away bone if necessary and sometimes used to split to the tooth to make it easier to remove. The surgeon can then remove the tooth or tooth fragments with forceps, similar to the way they would remove a normal tooth that is not under the gums. After the tooth is removed, gauze is usually placed over the side of the surgery to limit bleeding into the mouth.
Recovery
After surgery has taken place, the patient will not be able to eat solid foods for several days. Gauze and icing is usually prescribed to reduce swelling and bleeding. It can take months for the empty sockets left by wisdom teeth to fill in with new tissue. As they fill in, care must be taken to clean the sockets and not to injure the new tissue. Blowing or sucking forcefully may cause the new tissue to loosen and bleed out, which can lead to a complication known as a dry socket, that can require additional dental attention to fix.
Tags: wisdom teeth, other teeth, wisdom teeth, general anesthetic, later life, teeth they