It’s almost a rite of passage to get your wisdom teeth removed and for good reason! There are lots of instances when you might need oral surgery, such as a root canal, implant placement, and tooth extraction, but the extraction of wisdom teeth is one of the most common oral surgeries out there. There are many reasons why you might want to have your wisdom teeth taken out or choose to have the procedure done for your child. In this situation, the benefits usually far outweigh the risks.
What are Wisdom Teeth? Your wisdom teeth are your third set of molars, way at the very back of your mouth. They usually erupt, or start to come in, between the ages of seventeen and twenty-five. There are four of them altogether, and they are the last of your molars to grow in, if they come in at all.
Why Should They be Removed? There are a few different reasons that someone might want to have these teeth removed. Many people don’t even have enough room in their mouths for their wisdom teeth to grow in properly without overcrowding the other teeth. This can be painful and cause teeth to move and shift, possibly undoing previous orthodontic treatments. Even if there is enough room for these molars, they may only grow in partially or at an angle. Without being aligned with your other molars, they are completely useless for chewing, defeating their whole purpose. If your wisdom teeth are sitting in the back of your mouth, unused and hard to reach when brushing and flossing, they have a high risk of developing cavities and causing problems.
If there’s no room at all for wisdom teeth to grow in, they become impacted. This means that the teeth stay underneath thin sheets of bone and gum tissue. In this situation, the teeth have to be removed by making an incision in the gum tissue and then drilling through the bone to unhouse the tooth and extract the tooth straight out of the bone.
Who Removes Wisdom Teeth? An oral surgeon has to perform wisdom tooth extraction. I perform oral surgeries regularly, such as implantation placement, but I actually don’t extract wisdom teeth. This can be a complicated and delicate procedure, but to an oral surgeon, it’s second nature. Since we aim to be an all-in-one practice in order to give our patients the best and most convenient care possible, Elite Smiles has an oral surgeon on-staff to perform all wisdom teeth extractions. With an in-house oral surgeon, I will never have to refer you out for any kind of tooth removal, no matter how complex the procedure.
Better Together. An additional benefit to your dentist and oral surgeon being a part of the same practice is communication. Here at Elite Smiles, we are firm believers that communication is the key to success. In this ideal situation, your general dentist and oral surgeon can consult with one another directly in order to plan and provide the best treatment for your unique needs.
Click here for more blogs by Dr. Steven Freeman.
