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Oral Surgery

Oral Surgery/Extractions

If there is insufficient space for wisdom tooth eruption or a tooth is severely decayed and unable to be restored, an extraction is necessary.

Wisdom Teeth Extraction

Your third molars are more commonly called “wisdom teeth.” Usually appearing in the late teens or early twenties, third molars often lack the proper space in the jaw to erupt fully or even at all. This common condition is called impaction. When any tooth lacks the space to come through or simply develops in the wrong place of your jaw and becomes impacted, problems can arise. Primarily, damage to adjacent teeth and crowding occur.

In certain cases, the wisdom tooth that cannot come through becomes inflamed under the gums and in the jawbone, causing a sac to develop around the root of the tooth that then fills with liquid. This can cause a cyst or an abscess if it becomes infected. If either of these situations goes untreated, serious damage to the underlying bone and surrounding teeth and tissues can result.

Wisdom teeth are removed primarily to eliminate the potential for infection and damage to the adjacent teeth.

Guidelines for Extractions

Prior to the extraction, the tooth will be numbed to lessen discomfort.

Following an extraction, it is important that you avoid any activity, such as smoking, drinking through a straw or rinsing vigorously, for 24 hours. These activities could delay normal healing.

You should brush and floss as normal. However, do not clean the tooth next to the socket. In the event of pain or swelling, apply an ice bag or cold cloth. During the first few days after the extraction, if you have to rinse your mouth, rinse gently. Typically, a small amount of bleeding is normal.