Wisdom Tooth Extraction

Wisdom tooth extraction is the removal of wisdom teeth that are causing toothache, pain in the gum or misalignment of teeth. Wisdom tooth removal is commonly performed because teeth have become impacted in the gum or jawbone.

A Good Candidate for Wisdom Tooth Extraction

Candidates for wisdom tooth extraction suffer from toothache or jaw pain due to the impacting of wisdom teeth, overcrowding or severe misalignment of teeth or have a large cavity in the wisdom tooth that cannot be treated using dental fillings or root canal treatment.

Wisdom Tooth Extraction Procedure

The procedure for wisdom tooth extraction will vary slightly depending on the reason for the removal of the tooth. If wisdom tooth removal is performed because of decay or damage to the tooth, the area will be cleaned and the tooth will be removed in a simple tooth extraction procedure.

However, if tooth extraction for wisdom teeth is needed because the wisdom tooth has become severely impacted in the jawbone or gum line, dentists may need to make larger incisions in the gum to remove the tooth and the procedure will be more complicated.

Generally, wisdom tooth extraction is performed by making an incision in the gum to expose the tooth root and removing the tooth using dental forceps. If the tooth is severely impacted in the jawbone the dentist may need to make an incision into the bone itself to remove the wisdom tooth root.

Once the tooth has been removed the area surrounding the tooth will be cleaned and the incisions in the gum and jaw will be sealed using dental sutures. If patients require dental implants to replace the missing tooth, the patient must return for a second dental appointment once the tooth extraction site has healed.

Wisdom tooth extraction can take between 30 minutes to 2 hours to complete.