Best Practices for Removing Wisdom Teeth in Houston

Wisdom teeth are a third set of molars that come in later in life, as in when you are wiser. They will usually show up between the ages of 17 and 23.

Wisdom teeth are considered a vestigial organ, as they are not really necessary for a normal life, much like the appendix is

Because they are not a necessary organ, some patients find that removing them can eliminate the potential for them to cause problems around the time they start erupting (emerging from the gums).

 

Determining whether to Remove Wisdom Teeth

When visiting your local Houston dentist on a regular basis, they will frequently note the condition of your teeth. In the case of younger patients, they will also track the progress and development of wisdom teeth.

By the time a patient is 20, the dentist can tell whether wisdom teeth are going to be a problem for them. This is the time when the dentist will start to notice impaction or determine that the oral cavity is not large enough to accommodate the extra set of teeth.

Impacted teeth are ones that have not fully erupted. This is usually caused by the oral cavity being too small, but it can also occur due to an accident.

An impacted wisdom tooth may pose no threat at all. But more often, it will push against the adjacent molars and irritate the gum tissue around it, leading to pain, swelling, and infections.

Wisdom Teeth Removal in Houston

Your Memorial / Galleria dentist will advise you if one or more wisdom teeth need to be removed.

If you so desire, all of them can be removed in a single visit, but recovery may feel a bit more difficult. Even still, getting rid of all of them at once means not having to deal with it up to four times.

You may not always need to remove every tooth. Sometimes only one tooth becomes impacted and needs to be extracted. Appearance wise, the teeth are toward the back of your mouth and often not noticeable, so it’s unlikely someone would notice an uneven number.

Wisdom teeth removal is considered a surgical procedure as the dentist needs to gut into the gums to remove the teeth.

Local anesthetics are used to numb the area around each tooth and a general anesthetic may also be administered to help keep the patient calm and reduce discomfort.

Sedation dentistry can reduce much of the discomfort felt during a wisdom teeth removal procedure, and it will make the procedure seem to go by much faster for the patient.

Wisdom Teeth Removal Recovery

After having your wisdom teeth removed, go home and rest for the remainder of the day. Don’t put any undue stress on your gums and follow the dentist’s recommendations for alleviating pain and preventing opening of the surgical sites.

The swelling will peak within about 3 days, after which it will begin to recede, along with any residual pain. Continue following the recommendations of the dentist to ensure a complete recovery with as little pain as possible.