Impacted Wisdom Teeth Removal

Wisdom tooth removal is carried out by a dentist or by a specialist surgeon in a hospital.

Wisdom teeth normally come in during the late teens or early 20s. These teeth are located at the back of your mouth which can make it hard to brush them, and increase the risk of decay. Wisdom teeth sometimes get stuck in the jaw (impacted) and do not come in properly. Impacted teeth can irritate the gum, causing pain and swelling, and should be removed.

• Perform an X-Ray to identify location and orientation of wisdom teeth.
• A local anesthetic injection will be given to numb the tooth and the surrounding area. General anesthetic is rarely necessary.
• In some cases you may be given a sedative to help you relax.
• Antibiotics may be prescribed for non-surgical wisdom teeth extractions.
• Antibiotics will be prescribed for surgical extractions.

• If the tooth is not visible, or access to the tooth is insufficient, a small cut will be made in the gum to access it. It may be necessary to remove a small piece of bone to allow better access to the tooth.
• The tooth may be cut into smaller pieces and extracted one piece at a time. You will feel some pressure as the tooth is extracted.
• The tooth socket will be widened by rocking the tooth back and forth before removing it.
• If an incision was made, it will be necessary to stitch up the gum to allow better healing.
• In the case of excessive bleeding, a piece of gauze can be placed over the extraction site and held in place until the blood starts to clot, and the bleeding stops. This may take up to one hour.

For 24 hours after removing your wisdom teeth, you should avoid:

• Strenuous physical activity.
• Eating solid foods which require significant chewing.
• Drinking hot liquids.
• Rinsing your mouth out.
• Smoking.
• Drinking alcohol.