What is wisdom tooth extraction?
Wisdom teeth, or third molars, come in later than most teeth, generally appearing in your late teens or early twenties. These teeth are often a source of problems as they can become stuck, are often misaligned, or can impact other teeth causing pain, decay, and infection. Removing wisdom teeth can alleviate these potential problems and is a fairly common procedure.
Why would I need to remove wisdom teeth?
Not all wisdom teeth need to be removed but they can commonly cause a variety of issues.
If the tooth comes in at an odd angle and applies pressure to your gums or impacts other teeth, extreme discomfort and swelling can occur. Wisdom teeth can also become stuck beneath the gum line causing damage to your surrounding teeth and, even if they erupt normally, the tissues around the tooth can become swollen and infected. Also, the lack of space or angle of the tooth can make cleaning difficult which can then lead to the decay of adjacent teeth. Removing the wisdom tooth can alleviate these issues and help to avoid further complications down the road.
When should they come out?
Repeated infection, decay you can’t clean, damage to the tooth in front, cysts, or crowding before orthodontic treatment.
In the chair or asleep?
Most wisdom teeth can be removed comfortably with local anaesthetic. For anxious patients or complex cases we offer sedation.
Recovery
Expect some swelling and tenderness for three to five days. Most people are back to normal within a week.
