Wisdom Tooth Extractions – Mesquite, TX

Why Do We Have Wisdom Teeth

While wisdom teeth aren’t much use for us today, they were quite beneficial to early man. Because our ancestors used to eat a diet of mainly raw foods, including nuts, berries, leaves, roots, and raw meat, they put a lot of wear on their teeth. They didn’t use utensils or modern cooking methods, so chewing broke down their molars much faster than it does today. After they hit their late teens, they needed new teeth to keep eating, and wisdom teeth grew in to remedy the problem. They also had larger jaws, so when these teeth appeared, they could easily fit in their mouth.

Today, however, your jaw is much smaller, so when modern humans get their wisdom teeth, there’s frequently very little space left to accommodate them. Worse yet, because there is nowhere for them to go, they not only cause crowding, but they can also damage nearby teeth and cause excessive pain in the process.

Is Wisdom Tooth Removal Painful?

The first step in any wisdom tooth extraction procedure is always to numb your mouth with local anesthetic.  You may also be sedated, which will limit your body’s ability to register pain. Thus, your treatment itself should be painless. You may still feel some slight pressure as your teeth are removed, but it should not hurt.

After your procedure, it is common to experience soreness and general discomfort, but as long as you follow your aftercare guidelines you should be feeling better in about a week.

What’s the Best Age to Get Wisdom Teeth Removed?

There is no specific age at which you should have your wisdom teeth removed; however, most dentists recommend extracting them in early adulthood or as soon as they come in if needed. They still can be removed later in life, but the procedure and recovery are both much easier when you are younger. This is because as you age, the roots of your teeth grow longer and become more embedded in your jaw. The deeper they are, the more complicated the procedure becomes, and thus the longer the healing process can take.

Furthermore, the procedure is often easier to schedule for younger patients, because it can often be booked around holiday breaks and long weekends during the school year.

If Dr. Vazquez or Dr. Saldana recommend wisdom tooth removal, it is better to do it sooner rather than later to avoid any painful risks like impaction, cysts, tooth decay, or damage to nearby healthy teeth.

Should Wisdom Teeth Be Removed If They Don’t Hurt?

 Even if your wisdom teeth don’t hurt, they could become problematic in the future if they’re not removed. While some people’s wisdom teeth never create issues, in some cases leaving them intact can cause severe pain, infection, and other oral health problems.

Your wisdom teeth should only be removed if Dr. Saldana or Dr. Vazquez recommend it, as they are qualified to evaluate whether these molars currently pose any risks or may in the near future.

Once you have been recommended for extraction, you should schedule the procedure sooner than later, even if they aren’t causing any discomfort currently. This is because if left in place, they could contribute to many problems, including:

• Infection: Wisdom teeth can trap food debris and bacteria, and due to their hard-to-reach location, this can easily cause infection and decay, putting your other teeth and your gums at risk as well.
• Jaw Pain and headaches: Because your wisdom teeth often grow at odd angles, they can easily exert pressure onto your other teeth, causing jaw and head pain.
• Cysts: When you don’t remove your wisdom teeth soon enough, it could cause a fluid sac to develop around them, which may grow into a cyst that is capable of permanently damaging your surrounding teeth, gums, and jawbone.
• Orthodontic problems: When your wisdom teeth press against your other teeth, they could cause them to become misaligned. In severe cases, you may even need to get braces to correct this later on.