Wisdom Teeth Removal and Extractions

Extractions are the removal of the tooth from the mouth and can occur for a range of different reasons this can include if a tooth is severely decayed beyond repair, if the tooth has died and root canal therapy is not a viable option, or if they need to be removed in preparation for orthodontic treatment as there may be too many teeth for the mouth causing crowding.

Most extractions performed are straight forward extractions which involves numbing the area surrounding the tooth and then removing the tooth. However, there are more difficult types of extractions such as the surgical removal of the tooth. This is usually for highly decayed or broken teeth or for wisdom teeth. Wisdom teeth are often removed as there is no room for them in the mouth and they serve no functioning purpose, wisdom teeth are also prone to decay due to them being difficult to clean as well as they can often be partially submerged under the gum allowing bacteria to enter the area but making it almost impossible to clean and can cause decay to the wisdom tooth as well as other teeth in that area.

Wisdom teeth removal can be done in the surgery however if a patient wishes to be asleep during the procedure then we will refer them to a highly respected specialist who is well known to Dr Steven Du. After an extraction, there should be no smoking, no alcohol and no running around for the first 24 hours. Also, hot food and drinks should be avoided as this could dissolve the blood clot which acts as a protective layer and is good for a speedy recovery of the wound.

If the blood clot is lost this can lead to a dry socket which is where the wound has no layer to protect it and it can often be quite painful however a 5 minute visit to Dr Steven Du and he can place an artificial blood clot, made from seaweed, can be placed in the wound to give relief and improve healing.