When it comes to dental procedures, wisdom teeth extraction has become extremely commonplace among teens and young adults. While not everyone needs to have them removed, these final four molars can cause a variety of problems if they’re left in your mouth. From pain to inflammation, wisdom teeth extraction can lessen a variety of oral health risks.
Despite it being a common procedure, not everyone knows what wisdom teeth extraction entails. It’s best to have them removed before they erupt, but sometimes there isn’t enough room for the teeth to grow. When this happens, the teeth become impacted. In either case, the procedure is considered oral surgery.
Patients are typically put under with a general anesthetic and wake up after the procedure has been finished, thus avoiding any pain or discomfort you would have otherwise felt. While under, the oral surgeon works to extract the troublesome teeth. Post-op recovery generally takes a few days, with complete healing requiring a few weeks. It’s important to monitor your eating habits and activity level in the days following your procedure, as instructed by your oral surgeon.
The procedure is fairly straightforward, however, the reasons people get their wisdom teeth removed can be a bit more complex. For starters, most individuals run into spacing issues if they leave these molars in place. That’s because the human jaw doesn’t grow as large as it used to. In fact, if left to their own devices, these teeth can even grow into the jaw bone, causing more serious problems down the road.
With overcrowding comes plenty of other issues, including inflammation and alignment issues. Wisdom teeth can also cause excessive pain, tumors, eventual gum disease, and tooth decay. The pain comes from the added pressure the teeth add to your jaw and neighboring teeth. Dentists also see damage to other teeth when wisdom teeth aren’t extracted because the extra teeth can make it harder to properly clean and care for your mouth. While they were useful at one point in time, wisdom teeth aren’t necessary nowadays to live a happy and healthy life.
Are you considering having your own wisdom teeth removed? Whether you’re running into some of the issues mentioned above or simply being proactive, seeing a dentist about wisdom teeth extraction bodes well when done sooner rather than later. Schedule a consultation with one of our Long Beach dentist today. With our help, you’ll be able to decide the best care option for you and your oral health!
Give us a call at 562-434-6414 or request an appointment by using our online system here.
