Wisdom Teeth

Wisdom Teeth Removal

Wisdom teeth removal is often necessary due to several factors such as pain, infection, potential damage to adjacent teeth, gum disease, and cyst formation. For patients under the age of 25, early removal is recommended to avoid more problems associated with late removal. The jaw bone is softer (i.e. less cortical) making removal less difficult, the roots of the teeth are shorter making it less likely to approach or cross the mandibular nerve, and patients are usually healthier thus shortening the recovery period.

Why Do We Have Wisdom Teeth?

In evolution, humans were more plant-eaters and had longer jaws to accommodate the flatter wider teeth. As we progressed to a more diverse diet, our teeth and jaw became smaller. The result became a lack of room for the wisdom teeth to fit in the jaw and therefore not coming in all the way into the mouth (ie impacted wisdom teeth).

We highly recommend General Anesthesia for removal of wisdom teeth. We have found that the vast majority of our patients have the most pleasant experience with it. The two other options of 1)local anesthesia alone or 2) nitrous oxide with local will have you very numb and comfortable, but you will be aware of the many sounds and vibrations of surgery.

Everyone who has General Anesthesia will have a bruise in the arm after the i.v. catheter is removed. This is very common and normal. Upon receiving medications through the arm., some people may become itchy, have a rash, or swell up. If this occurs, Dr. Shimane will treat it immediately because we have medications much like a hospital to take the best of care of you.

Why Should I Remove My Wisdom Teeth?

Wisdom teeth are the last teeth to erupt within the mouth. When they align properly, and gum tissue is healthy, wisdom teeth do not have to be removed. Unfortunately, this does not generally happen. The extraction of wisdom teeth is necessary when they are prevented from properly erupting within the mouth. They may grow sideways, partially emerge from the gum, and even remain trapped beneath the gum and bone. Impacted teeth can take many positions in the bone as they attempt to find a pathway that will allow them to erupt successfully.

These poorly positioned impacted teeth can cause many problems. When they are partially erupted, the opening around the tooth allows bacteria to grow and will eventually cause an infection. The result: swelling, stiffness, pain and illness. The pressure from the erupting wisdom tooth may move other teeth and disrupt the orthodontic or natural alignment of teeth. The most serious problem occurs when tumors or cysts form around the impacted wisdom tooth, resulting in the destruction of the jawbone and healthy teeth. Removal of the offending impacted tooth or teeth usually resolves these problems. Early removal (ideally before age 25) is recommended to avoid such future problems and to decrease the surgical risk involved with the procedure. Early removal has the following advantages: the jaw bone is softer ( i.e. less cortical) making removal less difficult, the roots of the teeth are shorter making it less likely to approach or cross the mandibular nerve, and patients are usually healthier thus shortening the recovery period.

We hope this overview was helpful to you. We take pride in being very thorough in our treatment in order to provide you with the most informed and comfortable experience possible.

Most Sincerely,

Casey K. Shimane D.D.S. and Staff