Wisdom Teeth Extraction

When they come in properly aligned, your wisdom teeth are a great asset to your mouth. When they grow in crookedly, however, they can crowd and damage other teeth, your jawbone and even your nerves. It’s also possible that wisdom teeth are impacted, which means they’re unable to erupt or can only come up part of the way. A partial eruption can lead to infection, pain, swelling, stiffness and a feeling of illness.

In these cases, the wisdom teeth must be extracted by an experienced practitioner. At Worldwide Dental & Cosmetic Surgery Hospital, we can ensure your wisdom teeth are removed safely.

Types of Wisdom Teeth Impaction

A consultation is needed to determine whether wisdom teeth removal is necessary. A specialised X-ray will assist in determining whether the wisdom teeth are impacted and how best to remove them.

• Soft tissue impaction: There isn’t enough room for your gum tissue to retract for adequate cleaning of your wisdom teeth.
• Partial bony impaction: The wisdom teeth can erupt but cannot function properly to chew and would cause cleaning problems.
• Complete bony impaction: The wisdom tooth has no space to erupt and remains in the jawbone.

The Procedure

A local anaesthetic is used to keep you comfortable. If you’re particularly sensitive, we can give you sedative anaesthesia. After your tooth, jawbone and gums are numbed, we’ll begin to remove the wisdom teeth. The only sensation you may feel is pressure; you should not feel any pain.

Post-extraction Advice

It’s essential that a blood clot form after the removal of wisdom teeth. You’ll be given a gauze pad to bite for 30-45 minutes afterwards. It may need to be done several times. There are several instructions you can follow to ensure the best possible results:

• Do not rinse your mouth, drink through a straw, smoke or drink alcohol for 72 hours
• Do not brush teeth by the extraction site for 72 hours
• Limit vigorous exercise for 24 hours
• Apply an ice pack to the outside of the cheek to minimise swelling
• Take pain medications or other prescriptions as directed and contact us if the medication isn’t working
• Drink plenty of fluids and eat soft, nutritious food on the day of the removal
• Resume your normal routines after 24 hours, including regular brushing and flossing to keep your mouth healthy