Can I drive myself home after surgery?

We highly recommend you bring someone you trust to drive you to and from your appointment because it’s not safe to drive after being heavily sedated.

How long does it take to recover from a wisdom tooth extraction?

It can take around one to two weeks to recover from your wisdom teeth extractions, although this timeframe can vary based on your body’s unique physiology, the type of extraction you had performed, and your postoperative habits. During this time, you may experience swelling, bleeding, and discomfort in your mouth and cheeks. Dr. Clinton will recommend using a cold compress for your cheeks and prescribe your over-the-counter medication for any pain or discomfort you might feel.

Wisdom Teeth Removal in Waxahachie, TX

Gentle Techniques for Wisdom Tooth Extraction

Wisdom teeth, the last set of molars that erupt in the late teens to early twenties, have a notorious reputation. While they can grow properly aligned and functioning, around 90 percent of people have at least one wisdom tooth that causes problems and requires removal.

At Waxahachie Family Dentistry, Waxahachie dentist Dr. Scott Clinton can identify and remove problematic wisdom teeth to help patients avoid pain, infections, and other oral health issues. Call (972) 885-3335 to schedule your consultation at Waxahachie Family Dentistry today!

What Is Wisdom Tooth Removal?

Wisdom tooth removal (or extraction) is the surgical process of taking out one or more wisdom teeth that are misaligned, badly decayed, causing infections, damaging nearby teeth, or erupting incompletely through the gums in a difficult area to clean. It’s an extremely common procedure — around 10 million wisdom teeth are extracted yearly in the U.S. alone.

Benefits of Wisdom Tooth Removal

There are many advantages to having troublesome wisdom teeth taken out:

Alleviate Pain: Impacted or erupting wisdom teeth can cause severe pain, facial swelling, headaches, and jaw stiffness or locking. Removal stops this discomfort.
Avoid Damage: Wisdom teeth that only partially break through the gums or come in at odd angles can promote infections and bone/tooth loss. This can destroy nearby molars and jeopardize dental work like crowns or bridges. Extraction prevents deterioration.
Improve Orthodontics: For those wearing braces or aligners, impacted wisdom teeth essentially “cancel out” all the progress made to straighten other teeth, undoing months or years of orthodontic work. Removing wisdom teeth allows your straightening plan to work.
Enable Healthy Recovery: Extracting wisdom teeth when young means the bone heals faster for a quick, relatively painless recovery. As we age, the bone gets denser, and removal gets more complicated.

Reasons For Wisdom Teeth Removal

There are several common situations indicating your wisdom teeth need to come out:

Impaction: Partial eruption or strange angles causing infections and cysts
Pericoronitis: Painful inflammation when gums can’t properly clean around the tooth
Tooth Decay: Rapid decay from plaque buildup that is hard to clean
Overcrowding: Wisdom teeth shoving other teeth out of alignment
Orthodontic Interference: Wisdom teeth negating months or years of orthodontic work
Cysts: Cysts can form around impacted wisdom teeth, occasionally requiring extraction
Significant Dental Work: Wisdom teeth should often be removed before bridges, crowns, veneers, etc. Their eruption can disrupt that work.
Preparation for Other Procedures: These treatments weaken the immune system, so extracting wisdom teeth beforehand reduces infection risk.

The Wisdom Tooth Removal Process at Waxahachie Family Dentistry

At Waxahachie Family Dentistry, Dr. Clinton performs wisdom tooth extractions for adolescents, teens, and adults. Our relaxing office offers local anesthetics and sedation dentistry to keep you comfortable. Here’s what you can expect throughout your treatment:

Consultation & Imaging

We’ll interview you on your tooth pain and health history, take x-rays or a CBCT scan to visualize your wisdom teeth’s positions, and recommend extraction if necessary. Then, you’ll schedule your extraction appointment.

Sedation & Anesthesia

When you arrive for your wisdom tooth extraction, you’ll receive local anesthesia in the extraction area for a pain-free procedure. Dental sedation solutions can further relax you.

Tooth Removal

Our Waxahachie dentist will create a small incision in the gums before delicately extracting any bony-impacted wisdom teeth from the sockets. He’ll then stitch your gums closed with dissolving sutures.

Recovery

After surgery, you’ll bite down on gauze to control gentle bleeding while anesthetics wear off. This takes one to two hours. Prescribed or over-the-counter pain medications can help you manage any discomfort.

Follow-up

You’ll return around seven to 10 days later to assess healing. Further appointments can evaluate recovery or address complications like dry sockets.

Wisdom Teeth Aftercare

Post-op healing largely depends on carefully following Dr. Clinton’s at-home instructions for rest, ice packs, medicines, oral hygiene, diet modifications, and more. Here are some wisdom teeth aftercare highlights:

Bleeding should stop within eight hours. Gently bite down on fresh gauze pads or tea bags if needed.
Facial swelling peaks roughly two to three days later and fades over the next week. Ice packs help enormously.
Stick to soft foods like yogurt, smoothies, and broths. Avoid scorching foods or drinks.
Brush lightly around the stitches, but avoid disturbing the clotted area for several days. Gentle saltwater rinses help keep the area clean.
Take over-the-counter pain relievers as directed. Prescription medicines treat severe discomfort.
Rest as much as possible for at least two to three days. Gentle activity is fine after that.
Follow all post-op instructions carefully, and call if worrisome symptoms appear, like high fevers, chattering teeth, or excess bleeding.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is recovery after wisdom teeth removal?

Recovery typically takes about one week. You should plan on taking the first few days very easy, sticking to soft foods, gently rinsing your mouth, and avoiding strenuous activity. Any swelling and bruising subside within a week.

How painful is getting your wisdom teeth out?

Most patients report either minimal pain or none, thanks to effective local anesthetics and dental sedation. Post-op discomfort varies but is generally mild, managed by prescription-strength ibuprofen and acetaminophen. An ice pack also helps tremendously. If you do experience intense pain, call your dentist right away.

Do wisdom teeth have to be removed?

If wisdom teeth grow fully erupted without pushing other teeth out of place, then removal is unnecessary. But the majority of patients have at least one problematic wisdom tooth, whether impacted, infecting surrounding tissue, decaying rapidly, or interfering with braces. These warning signs mean extraction is usually best to avoid much bigger issues down the road.

Is it better to remove wisdom teeth when older or younger?

It’s ideal to remove symptomatic wisdom teeth when you’re a teenager or young adult before the surrounding bone gets overly dense and set. Younger patients typically heal faster, have easier surgery and recovery, and have lower postoperative complication risks. However, wisdom tooth removal can be done safely at any age when necessary.

Take Control of Your Wisdom Teeth’s Future

While most wisdom teeth ultimately need extraction, not all do. Get ahead of potential problems with an evaluation to determine if removal is necessary now or later. Contact Waxahachie Family Dentistry at (972) 885-3335 to ensure your wisdom teeth don’t derail your healthy, beautiful smile.

We’re happy to help new and returning patients from the Waxahachie area, including Rockett, Oak Leaf, and Pecan Hill, TX.