Wisdom Teeth FAQ

Frequently Asked Wisdom Teeth Removal Questions Lowell IN

Does everyone have to get his or her wisdom teeth removed?

It depends on whether or not your jawbone can accommodate the wisdom teeth in a way to be maintained for your lifetime.

The majority of patients do not have enough room for wisdom teeth to be cared for properly. Often wisdom teeth do not come in at the right angle and can damage other teeth. Even if wisdom teeth come in, they are often difficult to clean and therefore get cavities or infected.

When is the best time to get wisdom teeth removed?

The ideal time to get your wisdom teeth removed is when 50-75% of the roots are formed usually between 16-19 years of age. However, wisdom teeth can be removed with predictability up to the age of 25.

Do all four teeth have to be pulled?

Yes, for most of the cases, but there are always exceptions to the rule.

How long does recovery take after wisdom teeth removal?

It ranges from 2 to 10 days. It depends on age, medical conditions, the difficulty of the procedure, the close following of post-operative instructions and your body’s handling the healing process.

The sites will feel like a “crater” for few weeks, it takes 3 weeks on average for the soft tissue (gum) to close and 6 weeks for the sites to feel hard, but can be 6 months or more for the bone to fill in.

Does it hurt to have your wisdom teeth removed?

We take every possible step to make sure you are comfortably numb during the procedure. The majority of patients feel some pressure and hear the noise of the procedure.

Will I be awake for the extraction?

You can be awake, but we recommend oral sedation and laughing gas to take the edge off and make it easy to go through.

If you feel you need to go sleep completely or we feel this procedure can only be done safely while you are under general anesthesia, we will refer you to one of the great oral surgeons we work with for the procedure.

What does “impacted” mean?

It means that the teeth are still covered by bone and/or gum tissue and the jaw lacks sufficient space for the wisdom teeth to erupt in a correct and healthy position.

What is a “dry socket”?

Dry socket is a condition that can happen after any extraction, where the clot covering the site gets dislodged or dissolved for a number of reasons. This is like the scab coming off a wound. The condition is self-limiting which means the area will heal on its own once the body forms a new clot to cover the site. In most cases, we place packing on the site to help with the pain.