If you still have your wisdom teeth, there will come a time to discuss with your oral surgeon having them removed. Wisdom teeth don’t serve much of a purpose like they used to before modern dentistry, so getting them taken out is often in your best interest.
Whether they are causing you pain, or you are simply preventing problems, tooth extraction is usually the best thing to do when it comes to wisdom teeth. Dental care is important, so here is a guide to clarify why getting these teeth removed can be necessary.
Create More Room in Your Mouth
Many people’s mouths cannot accommodate the width and girth of wisdom teeth. When these teeth start coming in, typically during your teenage years, the rest of your teeth have to make room. In the old days, few people had braces to straighten teeth, and teeth with large cavities were simply removed instead of filled. Both factors would make space in the mouth for the wisdom teeth. Now, most people get straight teeth early on, and save them all with fillings or crowns, leaving little or no space for wisdom teeth to come in fully. This can result in damage to the adjacent teeth, infections, periodontal disease, and bone loss.
Around ten million wisdom teeth are removed from about 5 million people each year, according to information provided by the American Public Health Association. This means you’re not alone in having your wisdom teeth removed. If you want to keep your teeth straight and avoid potentially pricey dental repairs in the future, ask your oral surgeon if it’s time to have your offending new molars extracted.
Dental Surgery is Common
With any dental surgery, it’s important to know that you are in good hands. For your comfort, most patients are asleep, or sedated, and a local anesthetic is typically applied prior to the surgical procedure. This would be discussed in detail with your oral surgeon who performs many of these procedures every day.
Recovery is also relatively easy, and requires you take a pain medication for a few days if you are feeling any discomfort after having one or more wisdom teeth removed. If you need other dental work done, such as getting dental implants, you can have this work done while you undergo sedation procedures for wisdom teeth as well.
Many people get their wisdom teeth taken out and have no complications from the procedure. If this is something you are thinking about, talk over your concerns during your next dental appointment. This will help you feel at ease and confident with your oral surgery and care plan.
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