Wisdom Tooth RemovalRegular dental visits are a great place to start if you want to achieve optimal oral health. The oral surgeon will perform an examination to determine the best treatment to undertake. Wisdom teeth removal is one of the operations that the oral surgeon performs to improve a patient's oral wellbeing. When you come to Advanced Center for Oral Surgery, Facial Surgery and Dental Implants our team of experts will assess and determine whether you are a good candidate for wisdom tooth removal. It is important to know what a wisdom tooth is and what procedures are followed during the extraction process. At our clinic you will get all the answers you will need. What is a Wisdom Tooth?A wisdom tooth is a molar that is located at the back of your mouth. They are the latest to develop when a person reaches adulthood. You may have four of these wisdom teeth, with two on your upper jawbone and two on the lower jawbone. Why Are Wisdom Teeth Removed?Wisdom teeth are sometimes taken out as preventive treatment. It is usually to avoid future complications that may arise if they grow unchecked. One of the reasons why the oral surgeon may remove your wisdom teeth is because of a jaw that does not have enough space to accommodate the growth of the wisdom teeth. This makes the teeth unable to erupt from your gums. The wisdom teeth can also erupt halfway through your gums, where gum tissue can grow on top of the half-emerged wisdom teeth. If left unchecked, germs and food can get trapped, causing infections over this area. The teeth can also lead to more severe dental conditions such as causing damage to your jawbone, other teeth, or developing cysts. The oral surgeon can also decide to remove your wisdom teeth if one or more are growing at a wrong angle. What is the Procedure for Wisdom Tooth Removal?The wisdom tooth removal procedure can be performed at the surgeon's office. You will first come in for an assessment, where you and the surgeon decide on the removal of your wisdom teeth. When at the office for your procedure, the surgeon makes a small incision, where the tooth is supposed to cut through your gums. In other cases, a small bone that covers the tooth may need to be removed to expose the tooth. If the tooth has already through your gums, an incision will not be performed. The surgeon can also cut the tooth into smaller pieces if it is determined this will allow for easy removal of the wisdom tooth. There is usually slight pressure felt as the doctor rocks the tooth back and forth to remove it. There is no pain felt as the doctor will have applied a local anesthetic to the area of the gums. Local AnesthesiaTraditionally known as “Novocaine” a local anesthetic is a medication that is injected into the mouth to “numb” the area. This technique is mainly used for routine tooth extractions, uncomplicated implant procedures or minor biopsies. IV Sedation/General AnesthesiaFor our patients who are anxious about their surgery or for procedures that are more lengthy or complex, intravenous sedation or general anesthesia may be used. With intravenous sedation and general anesthesia anxiety apprehension are controlled and surgery can be performed comfortably, pain free and without recollection of the procedure. During the procedure you will still be given a local anesthetic to “numb” the area so that you wake up comfortably. When administering IV sedation or general anesthesia, Dr. Karras will give you anesthetic medications as necessary to achieve an appropriate level of comfort and anxiety control. You may be completely asleep or only sedated. This is managed on an individual basis. If you will be put to sleep (general anesthesia or sedation) for your surgery, please observe the following:
Having surgery in our office is not unlike having surgery in the hospital. The monitoring equipment that we use is the same. When you arrive in the surgical suite, the assistants will place several monitoring devices that typically include a blood pressure cuff, an EKG (electrocardiogram), a pulse oximeter (a device that measures the amount of oxygen in your blood) and a pretracheal stethoscope that is placed at the base of your neck so that we can listen to your breathing. Because of the contemporary techniques that we use, you will wake up shortly after your surgery is completed. Once you are alert and able to sit up, the IV will be removed and the person who escorted you to the office will be brought into the room. The assistants will review all the postoperative instructions with you and your escort and you will be on your way. Visit us at Advanced Center for Oral Surgery, Facial Surgery and Dental Implants for an assessment and to get your wisdom teeth removed. Our team of professionals will work to ensure that you get optimal care to help relieve the discomfort that can brought on by wisdom teeth. You can call us at (224) 341-5517 to get more information about the procedure and also to book an appointment with one of our surgeons. |
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