Questions and Answers for removal of Wisdom tooth

1. 1 Questions & answers For Removal of Wisdom Teeth The aim of this leaflet is to answer the most frequently asked questions and to remind you about the information you have been given in the clinic. The troublesome wisdom tooth: Your wisdom teeth are the last to emerge from your gums. This usually happens during your late teens, or the “age of wisdom” which gives them their name. Often there is not enough room for them in the jaw bone and gums, and remain partly or fully buried. Why do remove impacted wisdom teeth? The gum around an impacted wisdom tooth may become infected. This may cause severe pain, swelling, jaw stiffness, or even general illness. An impacted tooth may decay or lead to decay in the adjacent tooth, causing pain. This can happen even if the wisdom tooth is not visible in the mouth. The impacted tooth may be associated with cyst formation or cause damage to the roots of other teeth, sometimes without causing pain. You may have had trouble already and been advised to have your wisdom teeth removed. If you wait until they do cause trouble, you may have to be treated for pain and infection before they can be removed. What is involved in the treatment? The removal of an impacted wisdom tooth is not a simple extraction. It is an operation since it is usually necessary to make a cut in the gum over the tooth. Some bone may need to be removed to allow the tooth to come out. Stitches are often placed in the gum but these dissolve and do not require removal. How long does it take to remove a wisdom tooth? This is variable. sometimes it may take only a few minutes. More difficult teeth that need to be removed in several pieces may take much longer to remove. The total length of your visit is usually 45 minutes to an hour, when the treatment is carried out under local anesthetic at the dental hospital. What should you expect after removal of impacted wisdom teeth? As with any other operation, you must expect some pain afterwards. We usually advise that you start to take painkillers as soon as you get home. Paracetamol or ibuprofens are usually suitable as long as you have no medical condition which would make these pain killers unsafe. It is very important to keep the area clean, so starting on the day after surgery, we advise normal brushing and also gentle rinsing in the area after meals. Use an antibacterial mouthwash or Questions Questions and A and Answers for Removal of Wisdom t nswers for Removal of Wisdom too ooth th D Dr. r. Mohammed Alruby Mohammed Alruby

2. 2 warm salty water (a teaspoon of chicken salt dissolved in warm water). There will be swelling in the inside of your mouth and also on the outside of the face and jaw. This usually at its worst for the first 2-3 days but may take up to 2 weeks to settle completely. You may also have some stiffens in your jaw so that your mouth opening is reduced. This may make eating and swallowing difficult, and you may need to adjust to a softer diet for a week or so. Sometimes there will be bleeding afterwards. We ensure this has stopped before you go home but it may restart later. You may also have some bruising on your face. This is nothing to be concerned about; it disappears in a week to 10 days. Antibiotics are not required for every patient having a wisdom tooth out, but may be prescribed where there is increased risk of infection. The amount of discomfort and how long it lasts varies from patient to patient. It might be wise to warn your place of work that you may require to take a few days off. You should also avoid strenuous exercise. If you have any concerns during the healing period, you can contact the department for further advice. Are there any risks? There are always some risks involved in surgery and the removal of wisdom teeth is no exception. If the area bleeds again when you get home, apply pressure to the area for at least 10 minutes with a clean rolled –up hand kerchief. If the bleeding does not stop, contact the department for further advice. The removal of wisdom tooth leaves a socket in the bone. Sometimes healing may be delayed, for example if the blood clot in the socket is dislodged or washed away. This may prolong your pain giving rise to a dull throbbing ache. Smoking increases the risk of healing problems and we would advise all smokers to stop smoking for as long as possible. The pain can be contact the oral surgery department of your dentist for help. In addition, there are two nerves that lie very close to the roots of the lower wisdom teeth. One of these nerves supplies feeling to your lower lip, chin and lower teeth. The other supplies feeling to your tongue and helps with taste. The greatest care is taken to avoid damage to these nerves while your teeth are being removed, but sometimes they can unavoidably injure, causing temporary tingling or numbness in your lip, chin or tongue, or more rarely, altered taste. It is very unusual for this to last more than a few weeks at most and it does not alter your appearance. In an extremely small number of cases, some or all of this numbness may remain permanently and sometimes associated with a burning type of pain. You must balance these small risks against the benefit of removing your wisdom teeth. The decision to have your wisdom teeth removed is always yours. If your teeth pose any additional risks these will be discussed with you. (please feel free to ask any questions you have, they will be answered as fully as possible.) Questions Questions and A and Answers for Removal of Wisdom t nswers for Removal of Wisdom too ooth th D Dr. r. Mohammed Alruby Mohammed Alruby