Wisdom teeth rarely arrive without complication, and could lead to painful impactions and other serious issues with the health and beauty of your smile. To prevent these complications and preserve your smile, your Greenville, TX, dentist may suggest a safe and comfortable tooth extraction.
The Dangers of Wisdom Teeth
As we approach our late teens or early adulthood, up to four new teeth could arrive in the rear of the mouth. The wisdom teeth, also known as third molars, could them make huge changes to the smile. For smoke, they could cause misalignment, leading to crooked, crowded, or overlapping teeth. They could also damage nearby teeth, leading to painful infections. They could also only have room to partially erupt, leading to an impaction that itself leads to further risk of infection and discomfort. To preserve the health and beauty of your smile, we suggest removing these teeth before they even erupt and make negative changes to your smile.
The Extraction Process
We will start by administering a numbing agent to the areas around the teeth. Next, we offer sedation to help you enter a calm and relaxed state. Once we know you’re comfortable, we will open the gums above the teeth to access and remove them with forceps. We then suture the site closed. The sedation may take time to wear off, so a friend or family member can bring you home. Afterward, we suggest taking any prescribed medications as instructed, and resting for the first day. During that first day, eat only soft foods, avoid using a straw, and not prod the extraction site with your tongue. During a follow-up visit, we will remove the sutures and by the second or third day, you can usually resume normal activities.
Other Reasons to Remove a Tooth
We could also prescribe extraction to address severe damaged or infected teeth, preventing complications for the rest of your smile. We may take one out to make room to reposition the teeth for those undergoing orthodontic treatment.
Replacement Options
While wisdom teeth or those removed to make room for orthodontic care don’t need to be replaced, gaps due to infected or damaged teeth could lead to misalignment and other complications. To fill these gaps, we could place a dental bridge or possibly a single tooth dental implant. If you have any questions or concerns, then contact our team today to learn more.
Your Greenville, TX Dentist Provides Tooth Removal and Replacement
At Smith Family Dentistry, we want to make sure you and your family continue to enjoy strong smiles free of oral health complications. To learn more about how approach common oral surgical procedures, such as dental extraction or dental implant placement, then contact your Greenville, TX, dentist, Dr. Smith, by calling 903-455-5750.