Nearly 50 million Americans will need to remove their wisdom teeth on or before the age of 25. Patients often do not know if their wisdom teeth have arrived. If this is similar to your case, it may be time to consider your next oral consulting. The good thing is that no one is too old to have his wisdom teeth removed.
It is believed by many people that if they aren’t in pain, they don’t need to worry about their wisdom teeth. However, being pain-free doesn’t mean that they are problem free.
The American Association of Maxillofacial Surgeons has recommended evaluating the third molars of the patients when they’re young adults to discuss specific issues arising from the evaluation. The wisdom teeth are the last set to develop in the mouth, and an average person usually has about 4 of these wisdom teeth. The roots haven’t really formed in young adults, which may facilitate extraction. Early removal has led to both successful and predictable outcomes.
In some peculiar cases, the third molars are not necessarily removed. But if the teeth are not aligned in a proper way, problems may occur. Wisdom teeth that are partially developed help breed bacteria, which causes illness and pain. In a more serious development, tumors might even develop around the wisdom teeth and this would destroy the health teeth surrounding the area where tumor developed.
Risks of wisdom tooth removal
The extraction of wisdom teeth is considered as a fairly simple and minor procedure. However, it is very pertinent to note that despite how simple this is, it is still a surgical procedure and all surgical procedures bring with it an element of risk. Rest assured your dentist would take care of any issue (provided you consult a competent dentist), and good thing is, your dentists at Alameda Dental Group are well trained to handle complications.
Nerve injuries
Near the wisdom tooth is a nerve that carries signals from the chin, the lower lip and lower teeth to the brain. In most cases, there is a gap between the nerve and the wisdom teeth. However, there could be cases where this gap does not exist. If this true for you, then the nerve may be irritated from the surgery, which can make your lip or lower jaw become numb for a few days or sometimes weeks after the procedure. In very rare cases, this effect can be permanent.
Bleeding
Bleeding is indefinite, but your dentists at Alameda Dental Group will handle any excessive bleeding using the pressure of sutures. After the procedure, the bleeding might persist, and your dentist will provide you with some gauze to bite down. Other solutions could be the use of ice cold sips or ice packs on the side of the cheek where the surgery was done. If the bleeding persists, then your dentist must be contacted.