Getting your wisdom teeth out is a rite of passage today. Most people have them removed several times in their teens or early 20s. If you have a big mouth, be lucky who doesn’t have to take it off. If the jaw is wide enough, the wisdom teeth will grow straight and the teeth will be fully functional This is what happens to most people. Wisdom teeth tend to grow at an angle or sideways. Sometimes they will stick out of the gums. Others sometimes never fully emerge from the jaw. Your dentist will determine the appropriate age to remove these teeth if necessary to prevent problems down the road.
Wisdom teeth extraction is a much feared procedure. For this reason, many people choose to have IV sedation or general anesthesia to sleep through the procedure. What many people don’t know is that the surgery itself is an easy part. Each tooth can take only 10 to 15 minutes to remove depending on the position of the tooth. With local poppy, no pain is felt. The worst part is the shaking of the jaw and head as the doctor examines the tooth from the mouth. It is later recovered from surgery that makes the wisdom tooth extraction unappealing.
After surgery, your mouth will be numb for a few hours. When the anesthesia wears off, there may be pain anywhere from mild cramping. The surgeon should have prescribed a mild pain reliever, such as Tylenol 3 for single extractions and stronger Vicodin for more complex extractions. Pain medication is useful before the anesthesia goes off. If the pain is intense, and medication helps, an invitation to the surgeon is recommended. Different pharmacists may prescribe and invite you to their office to check out the items.
You will be provided with post op instructions. These instructions must be followed exactly to avoid problems. It is generally recommended to use warm water salt starting the next day of extraction. This will help keep the extraction sites clean and free of contamination. The surgeon can prescribe antibiotics to help care for infection as well. Bring it back at the suggested intervals and finish the whole bottle. The sutures must be done carefully. Do not disturb the extraction site with your finger or tongue to prevent dry nerve. Dry socket is a very painful condition where a fresh blood clot dislodges from the bone. A return visit to the dentist will be required to help repair the area and severe pain for several days. Because of the risk of dry nerves, smoking and drinking from a straw should be avoided for several days. These actions can suck the blood clot from the vein .
Your face will be swollen for many of the first few days. Use of ice pac occasionally at 30-minute intervals immediately after surgery will reduce swelling. After the first day, heat can be applied to the face. You will need to eat soft foods like football and mashed potatoes for the first few days, gradually increasing them. of solids, whenever possible. The jaw will be very sore and it will be harder to open the mouth. Exercise should also be avoided because it can cause pain or palpation of the teeth.
After a few days, you will be able to remove your stitches. Some surgeons use self-dissolving sutures that fall out on their own after a few days. Others prefer traditional sutures, which will have to be removed in the surgeon’s office. After the sutures, if the tooth comes out first under the gum, there will be a large gap where the tooth was. Your surgeon may provide you with a plastic syringe to help flush bacteria and food out of the hole It’s very important, make sure you wash it thoroughly, as the food in those holes will start to rot, and the taste will be bitter, salty. This taste can also be a sign of infection and therefore it is important to report any unusual pain to the surgeon as soon as possible.
Recovery from wisdom tooth extraction can take 1 day to several weeks. The younger the patient, the easier the recovery. This is why it is recommended to have them removed when the dentist recommends it. The older the patient, the more dangerous the complications. One complication is nerve damage, which can result in long-term numbness of the lips, tongue or chin. This can last for several weeks or months or be permanent. Pain and healing time may also be longer in older patients. As you act, the roots of the tooth will adhere more firmly to the bone, and the harder the tooth will be pulled out.
Finally, both the pain and the swelling subside, and whatever holes there are in the gums, the bone and gums should fill in. Judgment will become a thing of the past, and one day you will discuss your wisdom teeth, horror stories with your friends. You can and will survive with the wisdom of your hand. Humans have been surviving for decades.
