When it’s time for your wisdom teeth to come out, your dentist will usually refer you to an oral surgeon or maxillofacial surgeon. There are different methods for getting these teeth out, based on how they’ve been growing in. Dental professionals follow sanitation protocols and will administer anesthesia so you don’t feel pain during the surgery.
If your wisdom teeth have already broken through the surface of your gums, the removal is usually pretty simple, like it would be with any other tooth. Things get more complex if your wisdom teeth are impacted, meaning they’re trapped in your jaw or under your gums. In these instances, your dental professional makes an incision through the gum’s surface, above the tooth, and removes any bone still covering the tooth. Then the tooth is taken out. They may break the tooth into smaller pieces first. This tends to be easier when you’re younger, as the tooth’s roots aren’t completely formed yet, and the surrounding bone is softer.
After surgery, you’ll need someone to take you home and keep you comfortable until the anesthesia fully wears off. It’s important to get lots of rest, and do things to reduce the swelling, like keeping your head elevated and using an ice pack when possible, for the first 48 hours. To avoid dry socket you’ll also want to keep the surgical area clean, shift your diet to liquid and soft foods for a few days and avoid straws and smoking or vaping of any kind. Your dentist’s or surgeon’s office will give you additional post-op instructions, based on your individual needs.
In any case, know that wisdom teeth removal is among the most common dental procedures out there.
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