Wisdom Teeth Extraction
Dr. Victor Tran uses the latest tools and techniques to remove wisdom teeth quickly and efficiently.
Origin Dental offers sedation to help you stay comfortable throughout your extraction procedure.
Wisdom teeth extraction provides you with relief from pain and discomfort, and allows you to get back to your day-to-day life.
Usually, your wisdom teeth only need to be extracted if your mouth does not have room for them. Some patients can keep their wisdom teeth, and simply allow them to erupt naturally.
However, if your mouth does not have room for your wisdom teeth, they may need to be extracted when they begin to erupt. Dr. Tran can examine your mouth and take x-rays of your jaw to see if you may need wisdom tooth extraction.
You may also need to have your wisdom teeth extracted if they do not erupt completely, and become “impacted.” Impacted wisdom teeth are prone to becoming infected, and can cause a number of other dental complications. If your wisdom teeth have begun coming in and you’re experiencing jaw pain and stiffness, bad breath, or an unpleasant taste in your mouth, contact Dr. Tran for a consultation to see if your wisdom teeth need to be removed.
If Dr. Victor Tran determines that your wisdom teeth must be extracted, you may be wondering what to expect from your appointment at Origin Dental.
If your wisdom teeth are not impacted, the extraction process is simple. Dr. Tran will clean and numb your mouth. Then, your tooth will be loosened and gently removed from your mouth. Then, the area will be disinfected and stitched shut to encourage proper healing.
If your wisdom teeth are impacted, however, a surgical extraction will be required. This surgery is relatively simple and sedation can be provided to help ease anxiety. Depending on the complexity of your case, Dr. Tran may need to refer you to an oral surgeon in Sorrento Valley.
No. Before your appointment begins, Dr. Victor Tran will numb your mouth to make sure you don’t feel any pain or discomfort throughout your wisdom tooth extraction. We also offer oral conscious sedation, which will help you relax and sleep through your surgery at Origin Dental.
Thanks to numbing and sedation, you won’t feel any pain at all throughout your appointment at our office. However, once these treatments begin to wear off, some discomfort should be expected.
To help with tenderness, you can take over-the-counter medication and apply an ice pack to the cheek near the extraction site. This also helps with swelling and inflammation. Beyond these steps, Dr. Tran will provide you with a set of instructions to follow as you heal and recover from your extraction. Follow these closely to minimize your discomfort and speed up the healing process.
This depends on how many teeth are being extracted, their location, whether they’ve fully erupted, and a few other factors. However, most patients will spend less than an hour in the dentist’s chair.
However, your appointment will still take a bit longer. You may need to come early in order to take the sedation pill you’ll need to relax throughout the procedure. And, if you are sedated, you’ll usually be monitored for a little while after your surgery is over so that we can make sure there are no serious complications or issues.
So, while you will spend about an hour in the dentist’s chair, you will probably spend at least 1-2 hours at Origin Dental. Once your appointment is over, you should go home immediately to rest and recover. We recommend taking 1-2 days off work, if possible. This will help you recover and heal more quickly, and avoid stress while you’re healing from your surgery.
If you are being sedated during your wisdom tooth extraction procedure, you will need to bring a responsible adult with you who can drive you to and from the office. You will not be allowed to drive yourself home if you are sedated since the sedation pills used for the process can impair your motor skills for up to 24 hours.
Depending on the sedative used for your procedure, you may also need to take a pill the night before your appointment at our office, which is why you may need to be driven both to and from Origin Dental.
You should also dress comfortably for your appointment. We recommend a t-shirt so that we can take your blood pressure and apply monitoring equipment more easily, as well as comfortable pants like sweatpants and sneakers.
There’s nothing else that you need to bring with you to your appointment. Dr. Tran will provide you with additional instructions on how to prepare for your appointment if you’re being sedated, such as fasting (avoiding eating and drinking) for 8 hours before your surgery.
There are a number of steps you should take after your wisdom teeth are extracted to ensure they heal properly. Dr. Tran will give you a comprehensive set of instructions to follow, so we’ll just discuss a few of the most important steps below.
First and foremost, avoid heavy exertion for at least 2-3 days after your teeth are removed. Exercising or doing any other strenuous physical activity could interfere with healing and cause bleeding and discomfort. Plan to take things easy for a few days after your treatment.
Additionally, do not spit forcefully or use straws for at least 24-48 hours after your treatment. Doing so could damage the blood clot forming in your extraction site, and cause a painful condition called “dry socket.” You also should not brush the extraction site directly for about 3 days. You can brush your other teeth normally, and use a saltwater rinse to clean your extraction site.
For the first 3-4 days after your treatment, you also should eat a diet of soft or liquid foods like smoothies, yogurt, applesauce, soup, and broth. Avoid very spicy foods, or foods that are very hot. They could cause discomfort. You can usually start incorporating solid foods back into your diet about 5-7 days after your extraction.
Most patients recover completely from wisdom teeth extractions within 1-2 weeks of the procedure. If you still feel significant pain, discomfort, or other symptoms after this time, contact Origin Dental for a follow-up appointment right away.