What You Should Know About Wisdom Teeth Removal in San Jose

Receive wisdom teeth removal to prevent future discomfort and teeth crowding. At some point in time, most people need to seek a professional wisdom teeth removal procedure for oral health reasons. In most cases, we will complete a wisdom teeth extraction in our office. Continue reading to learn more about our easy approach to a wisdom teeth removal procedure.

If you are having more than one wisdom tooth removed, the tooth you are having removed may take awhile to extract, or there seem to be potential complications, we will put you under general anesthesia for your comfort. If your teeth seem like they would be fairly simple to remove, you may just need a local anesthetic at the site. We can determine anesthesia details when you come in for an evaluation visit for wisdom teeth removal. Anesthesia will prevent discomfort and will allow you to feel sleepy (or to nod off) throughout the procedure.

Wisdom Tooth Removal Procedure

To remove the wisdom teeth, we will create an incision in the gum tissue above the teeth if they do not break the surface. We will separate the teeth from the bones and tissue surrounding it and remove them one at a time. If the tooth we are accessing is large, we may need to cut it up into smaller pieces for easier removal. Following the removal of the tooth or teeth, we will provide sutures for quicker healing.

Most sutures will be dissolvable, but if necessary, we may need to use some that we will remove a few days later. We will also cover the surgery site with cotton to absorb and stop bleeding directly following the procedure. The procedure will be quick, and the patient will most likely be able to head home directly after the procedure.

Wisdom Tooth Extraction Aftercare

Following a wisdom teeth removal, the patient will only need a couple of days to recover. Normally, we will prescribe pain relievers when necessary. The patient will need to follow a few guidelines to speed up the recovery:

• Change cotton gauze pads as soon as they become soaked with blood
• Bleeding should not last longer than 24 hours
• Prop your head up when you rest to help bleeding stop
• Ice the side of your face to reduce swelling and discomfort
• Rest in a comfortable location for at least one day to help deter bleeding.
• Do not eat hard foods. We recommend sticking to jello, pudding, mashed potatoes, or soups as you heal
• When you do start chewing harder foods, try to avoid chewing near the surgery site
• Avoid using a straw, chewing gum, or sucking on anything as this could remove blood clots and reopen the wound
• Rinse with warm water to reduce swelling, and clean out the incision area with a water pick after meals
• Do not smoke, touch the area, or brush near the procedure site for a few days

These are the basics that you should know about our wisdom teeth removal. When you come into our San Jose dental office for an appointment, we will share any further information as needed. This important surgery will not take long, and you will recover quickly.