Wisdom Tooth Removal: Protect Your Health and Appearance
For some patients, wisdom teeth can cause considerable pain and lead to other issues such as shifting teeth and infection. Dr. Stephen J. Malki can gently remove your or your child's wisdom teeth at his Bergen County, NJ, practice. With his years of experience, he can provide gentle, comfortable treatment. Dr. Malki also works with a certified anesthesiologist to provide various levels of sedation.
Reasons for Extraction
There are certain situations when wisdom tooth extraction is recommended to avoid worsening pain and oral health issues. Erupting wisdom teeth that do not have sufficient room can lead to misalignment of the jaw and shifting teeth. These problems can also elevate your risk of TMJ (temporomandibular joint) disorder. Using digital x-rays, Dr. Malki can screen for:
- Wisdom teeth that do not fully come in, called impaction
- Too little space in the mouth to accommodate incoming wisdom teeth
- Wisdom teeth that grow in at an angle
Though extraction may be recommended before you experience any symptoms, indicators include an aching jaw, swollen gums, and bad breath due to hard-to-reach plaque build-up.
The Treatment Process
First, you will attend a consultation at our River Edge dental office. At this time, he will examine your teeth and jaws, discuss any symptoms, and go over your medical history to ensure you are healthy enough for oral surgery. Information from your x-rays will be used to precisely plan the surgery in a manner that minimizes trauma and reduces healing time.
Dr. Malki uses precise, gentle techniques and also works with a certified anesthesiologist to provide various levels of sedation.
Wisdom tooth extraction is performed on an outpatient basis and usually takes less than an hour to perform. To begin, Dr. Malki will make you comfortable by administering a local anesthesia and deeper sedation, if needed. If the wisdom tooth has erupted, the doctor will gently rock it back and forth and lift it out of the socket.
For an impacted wisdom tooth, Dr. Malki will create an incision in the gums. If necessary, small pieces of bone may be removed. When the tooth is accessed, it may be removed in one piece or carefully broken up to facilitate easier extraction. Lastly, your gums will be sutured together.
What Can I Expect during Recovery?
Bleeding at the surgical site will subside within a few hours of the procedure. You will be given gauze to help control bleeding, which should be changed out every half hour to hour. Keeping the head elevated to minimize bleeding and swelling is also advised. Over-the-counter pain medications can be taken to reduce discomfort, which lasts anywhere from a few hours to a few days.
To avoid irritating the area and compromising healing, patients should plan on restricting their diet to soft foods for at least a few days following the tooth extraction. Straws should also be avoided for some time. Hard or crunchy foods, and sucking a straw, can dislodge the blood clots that have formed around the sockets. Finally, patients should gently and carefully brush and floss around the incisions.
Learn More about Wisdom Tooth Extraction
Learn more about avoiding the oral health problems connected with wisdom teeth by scheduling your consultation today. Contact our office online or call Malki Dental at (201) 646-0800.
