Although wisdom teeth are naturally supposed to emerge by the time you reach a certain age, the average mouth is designed to hold only up to 28 teeth, which means that having 4 more erupt when you get older could be the cause of pain and serious dental problems.
Impacted teeth occur when your wisdom teeth attempt to grow, but don't have clear paths that they could emerge through, making them grow at an angle, sideways, or even remain hidden below the gum line. This becomes a problem because while the teeth could already be overcrowded and crooked; an impacted tooth could make things even tighter and cause you severe pain and discomfort. This can be addressed by having a qualified oral surgeon extract them.
Diagnosis begins with an oral examination as well as panoramic x-ray images of the mouth. This is done to establish the exact positions and orientation of your wisdom teeth, thereby determining if they need to be extracted. The oral surgeon may recommend removal if he sees that this would cause more problems for you in the future.
The procedure is generally simple, and would usually be done under local anesthesia. Surgically removing wisdom teeth is usually an outpatient procedure, and could be completed in a matter of hours.
The ease of the procedure would depend on how the teeth are positioned, and how progressed the impacting has been. If your wisdom teeth have already erupted and are visible among the other teeth, they could be extracted the same way other teeth normally are.
When you have a poorly positioned tooth or an impacted one, oral surgery might be needed to prevent further dental damage. Placement of dental implants and gum treatment also require oral surgery. The post-treatment experience can be accompanied by a lot of pain, often requiring safe analgesics to alleviate the discomfort. Aside from immediately taking the pain medication right after surgery, it is also important to observe a few precautions that may speed up the healing process.
Lying down on the day of your surgery is not advisable due to the increased blood pressure in your head from such a position, so you have to prop your head up with a pillow to help control bleeding. To reduce swelling, ice packs can be applied on the appropriate cheek. You should also stick to a liquid diet during the first two days, and a soft diet once the bleeding stops. Foods to consider include mashed potatoes, fruit milkshakes, yogurt and soup. It is also important to keep your mouth clean at all times, especially after eating your meals. A day after the procedure, you can rinse your mouth with warm salt water to keep the surgical area must be free of food debris to avoid bacteria build-up.
Most importantly, you have to follow a balanced diet. A good meal consisting of foods such as fruits and vegetables can help in the healing process. Vitamin C supplements can also help expedite your recovery.
If you are set out to undergo dental surgery, there are some things that you have to prepare beforehand, particularly since some dental sedation techniques might leave you dazed and out of sorts for quite a while. Consult with your dental professional to know the steps you should take before going into the surgery room.
Call a friend, and make arrangements for him to drive you to and from your appointment. Never drive after the surgery if you had been administered strong anesthesia, since this could severely impair your reaction time. In some cases, public transportation may be an option, but it's still best if you have someone taking you home.
Ask your dental surgeon if he will administer an intravenous sedative or general anesthesia. If he will, you shouldn't take any food or drink (even water is off the table) at least eight hours before the operation. If it only requires local anesthetic, you can eat light an hour or so before your surgery.
Wear something that you won't mind being stained or ruined, but make sure that it's comfortable, short-sleeved and loose-fitting as well. Keep from wearing contact lenses or any type of make up during the surgery.
Visit your grocery store beforehand, and stock up on soft foods like oatmeal, rice, and other items that require minimal chewing. You should also stay away from spicy or acidic foods a few weeks into the post-surgery recovery.
The true success of dental implant installation surgery is verified after several weeks or months, when the artificial tooth root has already reached the stability needed to function like a genuine tooth. Throughout the post-operative stage, most of the tasks to maintain the implant lie on the hands of the patient, since the dentist will only mostly provide instructions on taking care of the implant to prevent it from getting dislodged.
Right after the surgery, the bone and the surrounding gum area where the implant has been placed would be tender. Most dentists would recommend a diet of soft foods in the first few days to a week of the post-operative stage. This will prevent swelling and bleeding, which often lead to infection.
The aim of the procedure is to allow the metal tooth root to completely fuse with the jawbone where it was implanted. Such a process is not completed overnight. It will take around six months for the bone to have a strong hold of the implant, enough for the bridge to function properly. During those months, the patient has to take care not to accidentally dislodge the implant.
Proper oral hygiene is also needed to keep bacteria at bay. Bacteria can cause the bridge to stain and deteriorate, as well as the gums to recede. The patient should floss and brush regularly using the type of brush and floss specified by his dentist.
