3 Powerful Reasons for Wisdom Teeth Removal Surgery

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Most of us have learned the most essential dental hygiene habits at a young age: brush our teeth twice a day, avoid unnecessary sugar, and visit our dentist every six months. Once in a while, though, our dental condition requires us to undergo professional dental procedures, whether it’s to whiten our teeth, fix their alignment, or remove decaying parts that risk affecting adjacent teeth. One of these professional dental procedures is also wisdom teeth removal.

One dental mistake some people make though is putting off their wisdom tooth’s extraction until it starts to affect the rest of their teeth. As much as possible, you should have your wisdom teeth removed before it sprouts and causes damage that is either permanent or expensive to fix. By repairing your teeth, you prevent developing several dental conditions.

Table of Contents

3 reasons for wisdom teeth removal

Infected Gums

Pericoronitis is the inflammation of wisdom teeth that aren’t fully impacted or have not totally come out of the gums, according to the Toronto dental practice. Without wisdom teeth removal, there’s usually not enough space for wisdom teeth to erupt, and when your wisdom tooth cannot push the other teeth aside, it turns the gums above it into a soft tissue that accumulates bacteria. This leads to inflammation, among other symptoms.

Someone with pericoronitis will experience tooth pain, swollen gums, pus discharge, and lockjaw. Because of bacteria build-up, you could also experience bad breath and a bad taste in your mouth – this is bacteria growing in your gums. If left untreated, the infection can spread from the gums above your tooth to the rest of your mouth.

You can avoid infection if you remove your wisdom teeth before it erupts. Wisdom teeth rarely erupt aligned with the rest of the teeth, so there is always a risk of pericoronitis if you leave it to erupt on its own.

Cyst Formation Under Your Jaw

Dentigerous cysts can form in your jaw and can continue to grow for years without you realizing until it is too late. They form over your unerupted teeth. While they are benign (unlikely to develop into cancer cells), if left untreated, it can grow and cause discomfort and infection.

This condition is more common with older adults who have allowed their wisdom teeth to erupt at an older age at around their 20s and 30s. To remedy this, your dentist will have to cut open and drain the cyst before stitching it to prevent more cysts from growing. Left untreated, the cyst may cause an infection or fracture your jaw due to its size. You can tell a cyst has formed when you notice a small bump in your jaw. Your teeth will feel more sensitive, and your gums will start swelling. This is because of the fluid building up within the cyst.

Crowding Teeth

A normal set of teeth has enough space between each tooth to thoroughly clean and reduce the risk of infection, decay, and gum disease from spreading to other teeth. However, when you have your wisdom teeth erupting without dental intervention, it can push your teeth aside and cause them to crowd. Aside from crooked teeth, having less space between your teeth makes it difficult to brush, floss, and keep your teeth clean. This can lead to periodontitis (gum disease by the supporting structures of each teeth) and gingivitis, and the disease can spread easier to other parts of your mouth because of the small gaps between each tooth.

Wisdom teeth extraction can prevent your teeth from crowding in the first place because your dentist can remove your wisdom tooth before it affects the rest of your teeth. The other option would be to let your wisdom teeth erupt, damage your teeth alignment, increase the risk of gum disease and tooth decay, and then pay more for braces and other expensive treatments to repair your entire set of teeth. An extraction takes one day and up to two weeks of recovery, whereas braces may take years to re-align your teeth.

When Should I Get My Wisdom Teeth Removed?

Most dentists recommend removing your wisdom teeth during your early adulthood since most people start to experience their wisdom teeth erupting during that time. However, it is possible to have them removed in your teens if they start to sprout early. In some cases with teens getting braces, dentists don’t remove the wisdom teeth; they pull out other teeth (usually the premolars) and adjust the rest of your teeth to make way for erupting wisdom teeth.

Most people undergo wisdom teeth removal, and it is much better to get it done early while your wisdom teeth have yet to affect the rest of your dental health rather than later when its eruption has created problems that could have been avoided. If you have not done anything to address your wisdom teeth, set an appointment with your dentist and talk about what can be done to prevent your wisdom teeth from creating these risks.

There are some things to remember to help the healing process after your wisdom teeth removal surgery.

Here are 10 tips for wisdom teeth removal aftercare.

Use a gauze pad

Immediately after your procedure your dentist will probably give you a gauze pad folded in half to place over the wound. This helps to get the bleeding to stop. Bite down gently on the gauze pad from time to time and make sure you change the pad when it becomes saturated with blood. Everyone wonders how long the bleeding will last. Bleeding typically lasts for 24 hours after the procedure. If you find you are still bleeding after the 24 hour mark, contact your dentist.

Use an ice pack for the first 2 days

An ice pack or cold cloth applied to your check will help with any possible swelling. Apply gently for 15 to 20 minutes at a time. After this time, heat works better than cold packs.

Keep your head elevated

Did you know that lying flat can extend bleeding? Try elevating your head with extra pillows to keep your head elevated.

Use a salt water rinse or mouthwash after 24 hours

After 24 hours it is safe to gently rinse your mouth out with mouthwash. Do not swish around vigorously as it can loosen the blood clots that are starting to form that are needed for proper healing. A salt water rinse can be used for pain. Mix 1 teaspoon of salt in 250 ml of warm water and rinse a few times a day for relief.

Stick to soft foods

It goes without saying that you will have to eat soft foods while you are healing. Your mouth will be very sore, and you do not want to cause any injury to the surgery site. Puddings, yogurt, and thin nutritious soups are good options that you can try. You should avoid hot drinks as they can dissolve any blot clots.

Follow the doctor’s orders

A lot of people have a problem with following the doctor’s orders fully. It is important to follow them all though to make sure that you heal correctly and fully. You may be prescribed antibiotics to prevent infection, it is important that you take all of them. You also may or may not be given medication for pain. Let your doctor know if you have any excessive bleeding, intense pain, or unusual symptoms.

If you suffer from TMJ your pain of course may be different than someone else’s. There are some bad behaviors you can stop that will help your TMJ pain, and will also help your healing process of wisdom teeth removal at the same time.

Do not spit or rinse vigorously.

I mentioned after 24 hours you can use mouthwash or a salt water rinse. The reason it is important not to rinse vigorously is you want to keep the forming blood clots in place. If they come loose, you can develop something called dry socket and that will cause you more pain and problems than what you started with.

Do not use a straw

Straws will prevent the natural healing process and disturb those precious blood clots.

Let your body rest and heal

It is not advised to take part in any strenuous activities. You want to just rest and take it easy and let your body to heal. Wisdom teeth removal surgery is major surgery, and you need time to heal.

Do not smoke or drink

This one may be the hardest for some people. Smoking can cause that dreaded dry socket I talked about and disrupt blood clots. Alcohol can delay the healing process. As much as you may want to smoke or drink, it is best if you hold off until you are completely healed.