Wisdom Teeth Removal In Calgary

Usually, wisdom tooth pain feels like a dull soreness or throbbing sensation that comes and goes. It’s specifically noticeable along your jaw or side of your face, an inch or two from your ear. If your wisdom teeth are infected or have tooth decay, they might also exhibit symptoms of cavities like sharp pain when you eat, or soreness when you bite down.

Occasionally, you’ll see some swelling with impacted wisdom teeth. This inflammation might make the side of your face hot to the touch, or you’ll see red, swollen gums near the back of your mouth. Since wisdom teeth are the last ones to erupt, it’s typical to feel discomfort during your teen years, 20s, or as late as your early 30s.

Most wisdom tooth discomfort can be managed using warm saltwater rinses, warm compresses, and over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medication (ibuprofen or Motrin.) However, if the pain persists or gets worse, you might not be able to start feeling better until a dentist takes your wisdom teeth out.

The total cost of your wisdom tooth removal will vary on numerous factors of your surgery.

Not everyone needs to have their wisdom teeth taken out. Our dentist will need to take a full-mouth panoramic X-ray to see how your third molars are positioned, if they’re infected or impacted, and to determine if there’s room for them to erupt properly.

Some of the reasons why we recommend having a wisdom tooth extracted are because of pain, swelling, impaction, tooth decay, gum disease, and cysts. If we feel that the tooth is prone to infection or pressing so hard into the adjacent tooth that damage will occur, a proactive extraction may be the best thing for your smile.

Wisdom tooth pain can come and go over several months, or even years. But if it becomes a consistent sensation that just won’t go away, you’ll probably need to have your wisdom teeth taken out.

Some people have room for wisdom teeth to grow in, but most don’t. Spacing in the jaw is usually the biggest issue when wisdom teeth start popping through the gums. When spacing is limited, the growth of wisdom teeth can cause overcrowding because the third molars push the other teeth forward to make room. The lack of room can also result in the wisdom teeth being misaligned — sometimes they start growing sideways or stay trapped under the gums.

If the wisdom teeth grow in the wrong position, then they can trap food in the back of your mouth and eventually lead to gum disease and tooth decay. These pockets of food particles are perfect for bacteria growth and cause serious infection in the future. Most people have a difficult time flossing that far back in the mouth, especially when the teeth are misaligned and crooked.

Also, it’s important to consider the potential damage that can occur to other teeth if there isn’t enough room for the wisdom teeth to come through. For example, neighbouring teeth can be damaged. Additionally, if an infection occurs because bacteria enters the gums, it can result in damage to surrounding roots and even bone loss in the jaw. Damage to the bone and roots can lead to loss of healthy teeth.

For most patients, the best time to remove wisdom teeth is before you’re 20. Most dentists will check for wisdom teeth starting in the patient’s mid-teenage years. Younger people’s roots and bones aren’t fully formed and they usually have an easier time recovering from the surgery, which is why it’s common to have these third molars removed before the age of 20.

Recovering from an oral surgery like wisdom tooth extractions can vary from one person to the next. Some people feel just fine within a few days, while others need about a week to recover. In rare circumstances when dry sockets develop, the recovery time can take up to two weeks.

To ensure you recover as quickly as possible, be sure to follow the home care instructions that we give you (specifically related to your diet, oral hygiene, and rest.)

If you have your wisdom teeth removed on a Wednesday or Thursday, you can probably expect to be able to return to work by the next Monday. At the most, you would probably need a week off from your job or school. Giving yourself a long weekend or planning surgery just before a short holiday can help you minimize your time off work.

For jobs that require physical labor, you might need a bit more time. Overexerting yourself could interrupt clot formation at the extraction sites. As well, if you’re taking a prescription pain reliever, you won’t be able to drive or operate heavy machinery.

Some of the things you’ll want to avoid after any type of oral surgery – including wisdom tooth removal – are:

• Exercise
• Eating hard or crunchy foods
• Drinking through a straw
• Carbonated or alcoholic beverages
• Smoking

All of these factors can interfere with healing or cause the blood clot to come out of the extraction site, causing a painful dry socket.

Instead of worrying too much about what not to do, pay attention to what you should do after having your wisdom teeth extracted. Our dentist recommends plenty of rest, sticking to a soft diet for at least the first few days, and getting plenty of liquids. Take all medication as prescribed; if you’re on an antibiotic, be sure to keep taking the medication until the course is completed. In most cases, over the counter pain relievers that are anti-inflammatories (such as ibuprofen/Motrin) are the best medication to take after an oral surgery. For the first 24 hours, have a cold compress handy that you can apply to the side of your mouth on and off every 20 minutes. The cool temperature helps with swelling, which is a common cause of discomfort.

Wisdom teeth are what we refer to as “third molars.” That is, they’re the third set of molars (back grinding teeth) that someone gets. The first two sets erupt when we’re around 6 and 12 years old, respectively.

Since the third molars don’t erupt until a person is much older – and wiser, or at least we hope – they’re often referred to as “wisdom teeth.” In fact, more people refer to them as wisdom teeth than they do as “third molars.”

In generations past, wisdom teeth served as an extra set of teeth to come in and fill in any room caused by missing or damaged teeth. But today, our preventative oral health techniques are so effective, we usually don’t need wisdom teeth for functional purposes. So, if they try to erupt and there isn’t any room for them, we have to take them out!

On average, wisdom teeth stop growing by the time people are about 30 years old. Their nickname is because of how late in life they develop! Most people will see their wisdom teeth coming in by the time they’re in college or during their 20s, but it’s not uncommon for someone closer to 30 years of age to finally see them come in.

The earliest signs of wisdom teeth can be seen on X-rays in adolescents. Panoramic films (which encompass the entire mouth, jaws, and TMJ) will be able to show if the third molars are starting to form. The earliest timeframe for someone to have their wisdom teeth taken out is usually in their late teens.

If you’re well past the time of having your wisdom teeth grow in, you might not be totally off the hook. If you’re over 30 years old and your third molars have erupted, they’ll be prone to issues like cavities or gum disease because of how hard they are to clean. If for any reason they become infected, a dentist will recommend extracting them.

It can take more than a decade for your wisdom teeth to form and erupt. In fact, they might first be noticeable on your dental X-rays as a young teenager or middle school student, but not actually be fully developed until you’re close to 30 years old!

Most people tend to see their wisdom teeth grow and come in sometime during their high school or college years. For the rest of us, it’s our 20s. So, if you suspect you need to schedule a wisdom tooth removal, it might be more convenient to have the surgery while you’re still living at home with your parents!

And then, there are those lucky individuals who never get wisdom teeth at all. It’s not that they don’t come in through the gums; it’s that they never formed them in the first place! Third molars (another name for wisdom teeth) are one of the most common to be congenitally missing. So, if your parents have a missing wisdom tooth, you might too! You’ll usually know for sure by the time you’re a teenager, as long as a full mouth X-ray is available.

If you’re starting to feel your wisdom teeth coming in, the most important thing to do at this stage is to make sure you keep seeing your dentist every six months for a checkup. Be sure to mention any symptoms of soreness or irritation. At that point, a dentist will make sure to get an up-to-date X-ray of the area to see exactly how much your wisdom teeth are growing, how they’re positioned, and if there are any issues such as cysts or impactions. If you’re not in pain and everything looks healthy for the time being, a dentist might just recommend watching them and re-evaluating your third molars at the next checkup.

However, if there’s no space for your wisdom teeth to grow in, if they’re slanted towards the adjacent teeth, if there are cysts around them, or if partial eruption is putting you at risk for decay and gum disease, a dentist will likely recommend making a plan to have them taken out. Wisdom tooth removal is usually performed with sedation, so it isn’t a same-day procedure — you’ll need to plan it out for a future date.

Although wisdom teeth do grow over an extended period of time (over 10-15 years), they do eventually stop growing. For most people, wisdom teeth are fully formed by the time they turn about 30 years old. That’s why it’s so common for young adults who are in their 20s and living independently to go ahead and have to schedule wisdom tooth extractions.

If you’re lucky enough to have your wisdom teeth come in without any sort of complications, and you’re at least 30 years old, it’s safe to say that your third molars are likely completely formed. At this point in your oral development, you won’t be getting any additional teeth. However, it’s essential to take extra measures to keep your wisdom teeth clean, since they’re so hard to reach and are more prone to infection.