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Wisdom Teeth
Wisdom Tooth Extractions at
Route 66 Smiles
Family Dentistry
Route 66 Smiles Family Dentistry, with locations in Yukon and El Reno, Oklahoma, offers expert and compassionate care for wisdom tooth extractions. With their team of skilled dentists and state-of-the-art facilities, they prioritize the comfort and well-being of their patients throughout the entire process. Recognizing the potential complications that can arise from impacted wisdom teeth, their experienced professionals conduct thorough examinations and employ the latest techniques to ensure a safe and effective extraction. Whether it’s preventive removal or addressing existing issues, Route 66 Smiles Family Dentistry is dedicated to providing exceptional dental care and relieving patients of any discomfort associated with wisdom teeth, ensuring healthy smiles for a lifetime.
Benefits
of removing your wisdom teeth
There are several benefits associated with removing your wisdom teeth, also known as third molars. Here are some of the key advantages:
- Preventing Dental Problems: Wisdom teeth often lack enough space to emerge properly, leading to impaction or partial eruption. This can cause a range of dental issues, including overcrowding, misalignment, and damage to neighboring teeth. By removing your wisdom teeth, you can prevent these potential problems and maintain a proper bite alignment.
- Avoiding Pain and Discomfort: Impacted wisdom teeth can cause significant pain, discomfort, and swelling in the surrounding gums and jaw. By opting for extraction, you can eliminate or reduce this discomfort, enhancing your overall oral health and quality of life.
- Reducing the Risk of Infections: Wisdom teeth that are partially erupted or impacted can create pockets around them, which are difficult to clean properly. These pockets become breeding grounds for bacteria, leading to infections like gum disease and tooth decay. Removing your wisdom teeth eliminates these pockets, reducing the risk of oral infections and promoting better oral hygiene.
- Preventing Cysts and Tumors: In some cases, cysts or tumors can develop around impacted wisdom teeth. These growths can cause damage to the surrounding bone and neighboring teeth. By removing your wisdom teeth, you eliminate the possibility of these potentially harmful conditions.
- Improved Orthodontic Outcomes: If you are undergoing orthodontic treatment or have previously undergone it, removing your wisdom teeth can help maintain the results achieved. Wisdom teeth eruption can disrupt the alignment achieved through orthodontic treatment, potentially requiring additional orthodontic work. By removing them, you can protect your investment in a straight and beautiful smile.
It’s important to consult with your oral surgeon at Route 66 Smiles Family Dentistry to determine if a wisdom tooth extraction is necessary for your specific case. They will evaluate your dental health, consider any potential risks, and recommend the best course of action to maintain your oral well-being.
Tooth Extractions at
Route 66 Smiles
Family Dentistry
Dr. Tate and his team will extract teeth if they are severely decayed, have advanced periodontal disease, or have irreparably broken. Other teeth may require removal because of their poor positioning in the mouth, such as impacted teeth, or preparation for orthodontic treatment. Removing a single tooth can lead to problems related to chewing ability, jaw joint issues, and shifting teeth, which can significantly impact your dental health. To avoid these complications, Route 66 Smiles Family Dentistry will discuss alternatives to extracting and replacing the tooth.
The Tooth Extraction
Process
- At the time of extraction, Dr. Tate will numb your tooth, jawbone, and gums that surround the area with a local anesthetic.
- During the extraction process, you will feel a lot of pressure from “rocking” the tooth to widen the socket for removal.
- Pressure will be present without pain because the anesthetic numbs the pain nerves without affecting the pressure nerves.
- Our team encourages patients to immediately stop us from continuing if any pain slips past the anesthetic’s numbing effects.
- Some teeth require sectioning, a standard procedure performed when a tooth is stuck in the socket. In that case, Dr. Tate simply cuts the tooth into sections, removing each section one at a time.
Essential Tips for
Patients After Tooth Extractions
- After tooth extraction, bite on a gauze pad for 30-45 minutes immediately after the appointment to promote blood clotting. Repeat this process until blood flow slows and blood clots begin forming.
- After the blood clot forms, don’t disturb or dislodge the clot. Do not rinse vigorously, use straws, smoke, drink alcohol, or brush your teeth near the extraction site for 72 hours.
- Limit exercise for the first 24 hours post-extraction.
- Pain and swelling are expected. Take pain medications as prescribed. An ice pack or an unopened bag of frozen peas or corn applied to the area will keep swelling to a minimum. The swelling usually subsides after 48 hours.
- Drink lots of fluids and eat nutritious, soft food on the day of the extraction. You can return to eating normally as soon as you are comfortable. Call our Yukon or El Reno, OK, offices if the medication doesn’t seem to be working.
- Resume your regular dental routine after 24 hours.
- After a few days, you should feel fine and resume your normal activities.