Teeth that are partially or unerupted require surgery to remove. They are literally attached or grown to the underlying jawbone and can cause damage to the adjacent teeth, bone and nerve if left as is.

Fully erupted 3^rd molars are rarely seen. In most cases there is some type of entrapment. Treatment is usually done in the young adult years, as the teeth are much easier to remove than in older adults, whose bone is more hardened.

Wisdom Teeth are also known as 3^rd molars because they erupt behind the 2^nd molars. They are the furthest back in the mouth and often do not have enough room to erupt normally like our 1^st and 2^nd molars do as children. They usually begin to appear at around 17 yrs. of age but can erupt at any age (assuming when one has more “wisdom”). When a wisdom tooth does have enough room to come in normally it is termed “erupted”. When the tooth is formed, but unable to erupt due to position or space, it is termed “impacted”. Full bony (or complete) impaction means that the whole tooth is buried in the jawbone. Partially impacted means that part of the tooth has broken through the bone but cannot erupt fully. This generally leaves a flap of skin that can trap food and bacteria and will be susceptible to infection and discomfort, and decay.

Wisdom teeth that are fully erupted out of the jawbone and able to be accessed easily are often able to be extracted like any other erupted tooth in the mouth, using a local anesthetic or numbing agent much like the numbing used for any dental procedure.

 Usually during a routine cleaning and checkup your family dentist will advise you based on your x-rays showing the position and formation of the wisdom teeth. Very rarely can you keep the third molar clean enough to prevent infection and decay should you decide to keep them. This almost

certainly leads to problems at some point later in life. Many patients are motivated to extract their wisdom teeth due to the discomfort of teeth that are trying to erupt, but “stuck”.

Possibilities include:

1. Jaw damage:Cysts can form around the new teeth. If they aren’t treated, they can destroy jawbone which will not regenerate and damage nerves.
2. SinusIssues:Problems with upper wisdom teeth can lead to sinus pain, pressure, and congestion.
3. Inflamed Gums:Tissue around the area can swell and may be hard to clean, often trapping food and debris under a flap of tissue that cannot be accessed with home oral hygiene measures.
4. Cavities:Swollen gums can create pockets between teeth that help bacteria grow and cavities form. Since these teeth are notoriously hard to clean and keep free of food and bacteria, decay which can affect adjacent teeth as well is very common.
5. Alignment:Impacted wisdom teeth can cause problems with crowding of other teeth and even make treatment to straighten other teeth necessary.

Not permanently. Many patients report that their pain is intermittent, but the only permanent solution is to remove the offending teeth.

This is a highly individual situation, depending on many factors including the position of the tooth, its proximity to the other oral structures, and your jaw size.

The fee varies according to the type of surgery, complexity of the surgery, number of teeth needing extraction and type of sedation (if any) used. More complex surgery is most often performed by a licensed dental specialist or oral surgeon with additional surgical training and experience. At our office in Plano, you will be given a complete, detailed treatment estimate with any insurance considerations before any work is scheduled.

 Dr. Joseph employs a dentist with extra training and experience as a surgical specialist to take care of your wisdom teeth extractions in our own Plano office. Read more about Dr. Scott Williams here: https://planofamilydental.com/wisdom-tooth-extraction.html or https://www.bing.com/search?q=scott+williams+dentist

Fun fact: Dr. Joseph used to shadow Dr. Williams to gain more insight into oral surgery while he was in high school and college!

This varies too depending on the number of teeth, and the complexity of the surgery, but average extractions take from 45min to an hour actual surgery time.

Generally, there is some discomfort associated with any surgical procedure. This is easily managed with local anesthesia and sedation (if desired). Post operative discomfort is dependent on several factors unique to each surgery, including the complexity of the surgery and manipulation required to remove the teeth as well as (most importantly) your willingness to strictly adhere to post operative instructions given to you.

You'll likely have swelling and mild discomfort for 3 or so days. Your mouth may need a few weeks to completely heal. You will probably not want to return to normal activities for 1-3 days but let your comfort dictate your activities. It is suggested to avoid elevating your heart rate and jumping around for the first 48-72 hours after surgery, depending on your individual surgery. Regular erupted tooth removal does not require these measures, as most people return to normal activities after the first 24 hours. Your Plano family dental office will provide you with specific instructions pertaining to your individual tooth extraction recovery.

Follow your doctor’s instructions for a quicker recovery. Here are some tips for the first 3 days after surgery:

Dos:

1. Use an ice pack on your face to curb swelling orskin color changes.
2. Use moist heat for a sore jaw.
3. Gently open and close your mouth to exercise your jaw.
4. Eat softer foods like soup, pasta, smoothies, or milkshakes. (no straws yet)
5. Drink plenty of fluids. (NOT through a straw!)
6. Brush your teeth starting the second day. Don’t brush against any blood clots.
7. Take the drugs your doctor prescribes to ease pain or swelling.
8. Call your doctor if you have a fever, or if your pain or swelling doesn’t improve.

Don’ts:

1. Don’t drink through a straw. Sucking may loosen blood clots that help your mouth heal.
2. Don’t rinse your mouth too harshly. Your doctor may suggest rinsing gently with saltwater and letting the water just dribble out of your mouth without any force.
3. Don’t eat hard, crunchy, or sticky foods that may scratch your wounds.
4. Don’t smoke. Smoking can slow your healing or cause you to lose the protective clot.

If you are not careful with gentle rinsing and spitting, straw use or smoking after surgery, the clot that covers the space where the tooth was can be lost. This is like taking off a bandage on an open wound. The clot is there to seal off and protect the space, and aid in tissue regeneration eventually filling in the space created by tooth removal. Loss of this protective clot can result in increased pain and discomfort, resulting in an emergency visit to your dentist.

https://planofamilydental.com/emergency-dentistry.html