Wisdom teeth or third molars are the last molars on both sides of the jaws (Fig. 1). They are last to appear, usually in late teens or early twenties. They can cause painful diseases or may only partially emerge, or appear in a crooked way, causing problems. A flap of a skin may grow over them, leading to food entrapment and infection. Wisdom tooths are not strictly necessary in maintaining a healthy function of your teeth, and could lead to future problems if they do not appear in a painless and straight fashion.
There are several reasons to extract third molars:
- The presence of symptoms, such as pain, gum swelling and caries.
- Difficulty in cleaning poses higher risks of gum infection and caries.
- To prevent development of pathologies such as cysts (Fig. 2) and resorption of adjacent tooth (Fig. 3).
In Smile Avenue, removal of wisdom teeth is carried out by trained oral and maxillofacial surgeon. Single-tooth surgery can be done as an outpatient procedure, but if you are at high risk for complications or having multiple wisdom teeth removed, the procedure may be done in a hospital setting under general anesthesia. If there are infections, you may have to get these treated and defer wisdom tooth surgery till the infection is completely cleared up. Following wisdom tooth surgery, you may require stitches for better wound healing.
Recovery is generally quick. Painkillers are prescribed to cope with pain and swelling. Antibiotics are given to combat infection hazards.