For many of us, wisdom teeth pose a risk to our dental health. Oceana Dental can help by determining if wisdom teeth pose a problem, and removing them safely and comfortably if needed.
If you’re concerned about wisdom teeth and your health, talk to us. We’ll provide you with the information you need to make a smart decision.
Why have your wisdom teeth removed?
Wisdom teeth are our last set of molars, and appear when we’re in our late teens or early twenties. For some people, wisdom teeth pose no problem at all.
But for people with small or medium sized jaws, there’s a good chance that wisdom teeth may become stuck (or impacted) and will not fully emerge. If this happens, there is a greater risk of:
- Cavities and gum disease, as wisdom teeth become harder to brush and floss if they have partially emerged.
- Chronic inflammation if the wisdom tooth is stuck just below the gum line.
- Pain in the mouth and/or jaw.
Removing the wisdom teeth helps prevent all of these issues. Ask your dentist for a digital radiograph (a low-radiation version of an x-ray) and a recommendation for treatment.
What’s involved in wisdom teeth removal?
Once you’ve made the decision to remove your wisdom teeth, the process will depend on their exact position in your jaw. Before we begin, we’ll let you know what to expect. We’ll also give you a local anaesthetic and a form of dental sedation if you wish. Our calm and relaxing atmosphere also helps!
The extraction process involves a smooth removal of the tooth, removal of the periodontal ligament, and special post operative healing procedures. Once the tooth is removed, the periodontal ligament and potentially up to one millimeter of spongy bone in the socket is removed. This is often referred to as an alveoloplasty.
Removing infected bone and/or the surrounding calcium-dense wall (osteoectomy or alveoplasty) takes the socket down to good, healthy bone, promoting natural nutrient flow into the area and waste flow out.
Helping you speed up your recovery
We use dissolvable stitches at the site of the extraction, and will provide you with some guidelines for what to do at home. Our use of platelet rich fibrin (PRF) and platelet rich plasma (PRP), extracted from a small sample of your own blood before the procedure, can promote faster healing and tissue regeneration.