Oral Surgery

Wisdom Teeth Removal

Believe it or not, some people get to keep their wisdom teeth…though, it’s not recommended. Most of the time, wisdom teeth are removed because they’re going to damage your other teeth. We can tell through X-rays in which direction the teeth are going to grow, and sometimes, it’s quite clear that they won’t be accommodating.

Wisdom teeth can grow in a few funky ways:

  • Sideways, underneath the gums
  • Backward, toward the back of the mouth
  • Frontward, toward your existing molars
  • Incompletely, resulting in impaction

 

Removing them is often best for the safety of your teeth. Even if they aren’t going to grow in strangely, many dentists recommend removing them anyway for the simple reason that they are not easy to keep clean. With so little room in the back of your mouth for brushing and flossing, these teeth are much more likely to get missed and decay.

What to Expect During a Dental Extraction

The procedure for your extraction may vary depending on the reason for the removal. Generally, our dentist will follow these steps:

  • Injecting a local anesthetic
  • Loosening the tooth with an elevator
  • Removing the tooth with forceps

 

In more complex cases, we may have to make a small incision in the gums and remove bone or part of the tooth before extraction. Wisdom tooth removal is often a more complex procedure than a simple extraction. Our dentist can advise you on any potential complications of a tooth extraction and help you with the aftercare, so you don’t experience long-lasting symptoms or discomfort.

Gum Grafting for Advanced Gum Disease Patients

Thanks to laser dentistry, we can perform soft tissue surgeries with fewer complications, less pain, and a faster recovery. During a gum graft, our dentist will take tissue from the roof of the mouth and place it onto the gums to stimulate tissue regeneration. This can help to reverse gum disease and save the remaining natural teeth.

For those with extensive tooth loss, gum grafting helps to rebuild the gums enough to support dental restorations like dentures. Rebuilding the gums is an important part of periodontal disease treatment because, without your gums, infection can more easily creep into the bones and underlying tissue. Not to mention existing teeth will be extremely sensitive to hot and cold temperatures.

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