Is Wisdom Tooth Removal Process Painful?

You shouldn’t feel any pain as your wisdom teeth are removed because the area will be numb. However, if you do feel pain during the procedure, tell your dentist or oral surgeon so they can give you more anaesthetic. How long it takes to remove the tooth will vary.

It can take up to 2 weeks to recover from the surgery for having your wisdom tooth or teeth removed. During this time, you may have: a swollen mouth and cheeks – this will be worse for the first few days but will gradually improve; gently pressing a cold cloth to your face helps reduce the swelling.

According to the American Dental Association, wisdom teeth removal may be necessary if you experience changes in the area of those teeth, such as: Pain. Repeated infection of soft tissue behind the lower last tooth.

Wisdom teeth removal is a very common surgical procedure and it is generally considered safe. But as with any type of surgery, there is always risk. Although wisdom teeth extraction is not considered to be dangerous, complications can arise during or after the surgery.

Wisdom teeth typically appear between 17-24 years of age, with some people developing them earlier or later. Still, whether they grow earlier or later, there is nothing unusual about it. These teeth grow for a simple reason- to complete your full set of 32 teeth every adult should have.

How soon can I go back? Every person recovers differently and has different needs. Removal of wisdom teeth is a relatively minor procedure and most individuals who are doing administrative roles will normally be back at work 1–3 days after the surgery.

If the teeth haven’t erupted yet, an oral surgeon will need to make an incision along the gums to extract them. In general, this type of procedure would be an out-patient oral surgery. If the wisdom teeth have erupted, you may only need a simple extraction.

On the same day of surgery, you should not brush near the extraction site. However, you should start normal brushing again the very next day, according to the American Dental Association. You will certainly want to be careful and gentle, but you should resume full brushing the day right after wisdom tooth extraction.

It is imperative to avoid foods that can crumble easily or break to small pieces like cookies, chips, crackers, popcorn or foods containing nuts. These small and hard pieces of food can get lodged in the site of extraction and disrupt the formation of clots, causing infections.

You will be fully awake during your procedure but you won’t be able to feel any pain. You may feel some pressure but it shouldn’t hurt. When you get local anesthesia, you will get an injection (or several) in the gum around the tooth.

Featured Photo by engin akyurt on Unsplash