Longview Dental CenterWisdom Tooth Extraction – Longview, TX
Removing Unneeded Teeth Before They Cause Problems
While most of your teeth are irreplaceable, your third molars – or as you probably know them, the wisdom teeth – typically aren’t needed, and in many cases can even cause more harm than good. Dr. Stoddard has been working with patients for over 25 years, and he’s well-versed in recognizing when a wisdom tooth extraction is truly necessary. Get in touch with the Longview Dental Center today to learn more about the process; you can rest assured that your comfort and the safety of your smile will be our top priorities.
Common Reasons for Wisdom Tooth Extraction
When wisdom teeth are removed, it’s usually because they’ve become trapped under the gums or have otherwise erupted improperly in your mouth. In other words, there wasn’t enough room for the teeth in the first place, so they came in incorrectly. Not only is this normally very painful, but it can also lead to a number of other issues such as:
- Inflammation and infection as a result of the tooth creating an opening for bacteria to breed.
- Overcrowded teeth that are more difficult to brush and throw off the harmony of your bite.
- Damage to the rest of your smile.
- Cysts or tumors in the jawbone that could result in a TMJ disorder.
The Extraction Process
Since the wisdom teeth are probably still at least partially below the gum line, surgery is required to remove them. Your mouth will be numbed, and you’ll be appropriately sedated before we make any incisions. Some bone might have to be removed before we can access the tooth; furthermore, there are cases where the tooth itself must be divided into sections in order to be safely removed. After the extraction, the site is thoroughly cleaned and sutured shut. Finally, we’ll apply a piece of gauze to the extraction site to stop the bleeding; this helps create a blood clot, which helps protect the socket while it’s still healing.
Who Is a Good Candidate for Extraction?
It’s generally best to remove wisdom teeth when they first appear, which is typically between the ages of 17 and 25. Putting off the procedure for too long increases the risk that your mouth will suffer from permanent damage of some kind. Of course, an extraction isn’t always necessary; you can keep your wisdom teeth if they erupt normally and can be cleaned well. That said, we’ll only be able to predict whether or not wisdom teeth need to be removed after taking X-rays and performing examinations. And of course, we’ll need to start planning the procedure as soon as possible if your third molars are already causing you pain.