What are Wisdom Teeth?
Wisdom teeth are at the back of your mouth - your third molar
teeth. They tend to come through in the late teens or early
twenties. Some wisdom teeth do not fully come through or can
get stuck (impacted) because of nearby teeth and bone.
You may need your wisdom teeth removed due to decay or if the
tooth has grown out too far and is causing damage to your cheek or
gum. Occasionally an orthodontist may need the space to move
other teeth backward or, its possible, you may need an operation to
move your jaw forwards or backwards.
What does this involve?
Most upper wisdom teeth can be removed easily under local
anaesthetic although lower wisdom teeth can be more difficult to
remove so general anaesthetic is sometimes used. The
operation takes between ten minutes and an hour depending upon how
many teeth need removing and the difficulty expected.
Removing a wisdom tooth can involve cutting the gum to uncover
the tooth, removing bone around the tooth and dividing the tool
with a drill. Your surgeon will discuss with you what
procedure should be used in your case.
After the operation, your gum may need to will be closed with
stitches which are likely to be dissolvable. Your surgeon may
also place a pack of gauze on your wisdom tooth socket and ask you
to bite on it for ten minutes to restrict any bleeding.
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When will I recover?
You should be able to go home the same day and you should leave
the wound alone for the first 24 hours. If there is more
bleeding, then again use a gauze pack to bite or a clean
handkerchief made into a knot.
After 24 hours, you should rinse your mouth gently with hot
salty water four times a day for the next two days. For the
next week you should rinse your mouth with a chlorhexidine
mouthwash to keep you teeth clean until you can comfortably brush
your teeth again.
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What risks should I know about?
Wisdom teeth removal commonly performed procedure although there
are some potential complications you should be aware of.
- Where the socket does not heal well a dull throbbing pain may
develop after 48 hours - inform your surgeon if this happens.
- Sometimes nearby teeth can be loosened during the procedure
although they should firm up again.
- Sometimes removing an upper wisdom tooth may cause an opening
between a sinus and your mouth. Usually this closes on its
own though rarely may need further surgery.
- You may suffer from jaw stiffness which can take a few weeks to
settle
- There is a slight 1% risk of damage to nerves which can lead to
some loss of feeling in your lip or tongue. This can take
some months to settle down
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Circle care
Wisdom teeth removal is carried out in at CircleBath where you
can be sure of state of the art facilities and the best possible
care.
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