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Emerging wisdom teeth can pose a significant challenge to your oral health in your late teens or early twenties. Southwest Oral Surgical Arts’s (SWOSA’s) team of highly skilled oral surgeons, conveniently located with two locations St. George and one in Cedar City, Utah, is prepared to address this potential complication. We understand the discomfort and disruption that wisdom teeth can cause, and we utilize advanced techniques and meticulous care to ensure a safe and effective wisdom teeth removal experience. During your consultation, our surgeons will thoroughly evaluate your situation and discuss all treatment options, including various sedation methods, to best address your individual needs and ensure a comfortable recovery.

Why Do Wisdom Teeth Cause Problems?

For most people, their jaws are too small to accommodate the four wisdom teeth, also called your third molars. Wisdom teeth often fail to erupt completely or at all, and these impacted wisdom teeth will not enter the proper position for chewing and cleaning. With wisdom teeth removal, we remove these teeth to allow more space for the other teeth and allow the other teeth to have a proper position.

Types of Impaction

  • Soft Tissue Impaction: There is not enough room to allow the gum tissue to retract for adequate cleaning of the wisdom tooth.
  • Partial Bony Impaction: There is enough space for the wisdom tooth to partially emerge. However, the tooth cannot function properly during the chewing process, which may cause hygiene problems.
  • Complete or Full Bony Impaction: There is no space for the wisdom tooth to erupt. It remains embedded in the jaw bone and requires complex surgical techniques for removal.

Most Common Reasons to Have Wisdom Teeth Removed

If there is not enough room in your mouth for your third molars to fully erupt, a number of problems can occur.

Some of the possible problems related to not removing your wisdom teeth include:

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Infection

The most frequent clinical problem we see is pericoronitis, a localized gum infection. Without enough room for total eruption, the gum tissue around the wisdom tooth can become irritated and infected, resulting in recurrent pain, swelling, and problems with chewing or swallowing.

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Cyst Formation

Cysts are fluid-filled “balloons” inside the jaw bone that develop due to impacted teeth and slowly expand. Their expansion destroys adjacent jaw bone and, occasionally, other teeth in the smile. Cysts can be very difficult to treat if wisdom teeth are not removed in the teenage years. Although rare, tumors can be associated with the delayed removal of wisdom teeth.

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Possible Crowding

Retained and impacted wisdom teeth may contribute to crowded teeth. Unless you have an active problem when you see the oral surgeon, the reason for removal is primarily to prevent long-term damage to your teeth, gums, and jawbone caused by crowding.

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Damage to Adjacent Teeth

If there is inadequate room to clean around the wisdom tooth, then the second molar (the tooth directly in front of the wisdom tooth) is more likely to experience gum disease, bone loss around the tooth, and tooth decay.

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When Should I Have My Wisdom Teeth Removed?

Impacted wisdom teeth should be removed before their root structure is fully developed. While there is no set age for wisdom teeth removal, we recommend having them evaluated when 15-16 years old, unless your dentist or orthodontist recommends earlier. Problems tend to occur with increasing frequency after the age of 30. Take advantage of our free wisdom tooth consultation for individuals 24 years old or younger to see if now is the time for you.

What To Expect

During an initial consultation, your doctor will evaluate your teeth and gums, verify your eligibility for wisdom teeth removal, and provide you with a personalized treatment plan. In some cases, your surgeon may recommend that you pause certain medications or supplements that could cause bleeding.

Your comfort and safety are our foremost concerns. We will provide sedation options to ensure your well-being during wisdom teeth removal, and to prevent any memories of the surgery itself. Once you are fully comfortable, your surgeon will carefully expose and extract the teeth according to the agreed-upon technique. Most of the time, wisdom teeth removal takes less than an hour.

Have a Ride Home

Due to the effects of the anesthesia, you will not be allowed to drive yourself home. Make sure you have a friend or loved one who can give you a lift.

How Long Are You Groggy After the Procedure?

For most patients, the effects of anesthesia will wear off within the first day or so. Until they do, just make sure you rest and heal at home.

Recovery and Aftercare

For the first 24 hours, you can expect to experience some tenderness and swelling, which can be mediated with over-the-counter pain medications.

Your symptoms should subside over the course of the first week, and you will feel comfortable transitioning from liquids and soft foods to your normal diet.

By the end of the first month, you should feel completely back to normal, and be ready to resume your normal exercise and other physical activities.

Most patients are ready to resume work or school within a couple of days. If you schedule your wisdom teeth removal for a Thursday or Friday, you will likely feel ready to return to your normal activities by Monday.

You can eat as soon as you feel able, though you will need to start with liquids and with soft foods that do not require chewing.

Stick with liquids and soft foods while avoiding anything spicy, hot, extremely cold, crunchy, or sticky.

FAQ

Should I Have All of My Wisdom Teeth Removed at Once?

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When possible, your surgeon will recommend that you have all of your wisdom teeth removed simultaneously, reducing your surgical expenses and limiting your recovery time.

Are There Risks Associated with Wisdom Teeth Removal?

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Any surgical procedure comes with some level of risk, particularly infection, but you can reduce your risk simply by adhering to the aftercare instructions.

What Will My Smile Look Like Afterward?

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Your doctor will prioritize the aesthetics of your smile and ensure the wisdom teeth removal technique does not damage any of your remaining teeth.

Entrust Your Wisdom Teeth Removal to Us

Wisdom teeth removal is an important way to invest in your long-term oral health and in the integrity of your smile. With offices in St. George, Cedar City, and Mesquite, our surgeons provide wisdom teeth removal to help you stay healthy for years to come. Schedule a wisdom teeth consultation at SWOSA by calling our practice directly.