Oral Surgery Arlington TX
Wisdom Tooth Development
Wisdom teeth generally begin to form in your pre-teen years. By late teen years, the crown of the wisdom teeth will begin to erupt through the gums if there is adequate room. By mid twenties, your wisdom teeth will either be able to fully erupt or will have become impacted. Early removal of wisdom teeth makes the procedure easier for the patient to tolerate and promotes faster healing afterwards. By your early forties, the wisdom teeth roots have become fully anchored to the jawbone and if required to be extracted, will be much harder and will need more time to heal.
The problems involving your wisdom teeth may be caused by the size of your jaw and/or by how crowded your teeth are. Common warning symptoms that there is an un-natural problem in the development of your wisdom teeth could be pain and swelling.
Removal of wisdom teeth could be done while you are sedated and being carefully monitored.
Wisdom Tooth Problems
Symptoms can be caused by:
- Infection to the gums
- A crowded tooth displacing neighboring teeth
- A decayed wisdom tooth
- Poorly positioned wisdom tooth
- A cyst that destroys bone
Wisdom Tooth Removal
- An incision is made in the gums.
- The overlaying bone is removed to expose the crown of the tooth.
- The tooth is then extracted as a whole or under certain circumstances, it may be necessary to be removed in pieces. This is generally done for severely impacted wisdom teeth.
- The area is stitched closed and allowed to heal.
Tooth Extraction
Dr. Cloin works with experienced Oral Surgeons. When the extraction of a tooth is required:
- An incision in the gums is made
- The tooth is removed
- The area is stitched up and is allowed to heal
During this time, it is important to think about a tooth replacement option. An extracted tooth leaves an open area in the jaw which, in time, allows the neighboring teeth to drift into the area where the tooth was extracted. This in turn, causes a chain reaction to all the surrounding teeth. Also, if you are considering placing an implant in the future, you should consider asking your dentist to place a bone graft at the time of surgery to preserve the bone width and height.
