Oral Surgery

Wisdom teeth

Occasionally there might not be space within the mouth for wisdom teeth, in which case they can begin to push against the other teeth. The other issue is that when the wisdom tooth drops it may not come out straight and cause tenderness and aching. If any of these occur you should go and see your dentist immediately.

An X-ray might be taken by your dentist so that they can see what is happening with your wisdom teeth and whether they are trying to drop down. The dentist can then make the decision on whether to extract the wisdom tooth and if the procedure would be simple or complicated. Sedation can also be given during teeth extraction procedures.

Extractions

Having teeth extracted is in the same mould as having surgery. The area of extraction will need extra care for the healing process to work efficiently and to prevent infection. Some tips for looking after areas of extraction include:

During the first day only eat cold food, refrain from smoking and drinking alcohol and don’t agitate blood clots.

Do not wash the mouth for 6 hours after the procedure. After this you can tenderly wash your mouth with lukewarm water and a small pinch of salt.

Brush teeth as per your usual oral hygiene routine, but you should be careful near the sight of extraction.

A tiny bit of bone could come out of the extraction area, but this is a normal occurrence and there is no need to be troubled.

The area may be inflamed and you might feel a little pain in the first couple of days. Normal painkillers such as Ibuprofen or aspirin can help.

Pain after the tooth extraction may mean that the blood clot has broken, draining the socket and leaving it dry. This is called ‘dry socket’ and your dentist will need to treat it so that the pain will stop and the healing process can continue.

A soft clean cloth or gauze may be used where the tooth has been extracted but do not use anything made from paper. Steps to take:

  • Bind the cloth or gauze so that it is small enough to fit over the affected area at about 1-3cm. Make sure that you are sat up and softly remove any blood from the area.
  • Use a new cloth or gauze and place it over the extraction and then bite downwards steadily onto the cloth for around 15 minutes.
  • Remove the cloth to see if there is any bleeding still occurring. If blood is still present add another clean cloth and speak to the dentist.