What Are Wisdom Teeth?
Wisdom teeth are those teeth at the back of your mouth that come in at a later stage in your life. They are called third permanent molars and usually erupt after the age of 17. If they line up well with the other teeth, everything is all right and no further action is needed.
Why Is Wisdom Tooth Removal Necessary?
Wisdom teeth may need to be removed when they don’t have enough room to grow or are positioned incorrectly. Sometimes they grow horizontally pushing into the neighbouring teeth. This can cause several issues. For starters, they will crowd the teeth and could even damage neighbouring teeth. Second, they may become trapped as they are not able to fully emerge (impacted wisdom teeth). And third, you will not be able to properly clean all the surfaces in your mouth.
Other reasons why you might need wisdom tooth surgery is gum disease, tooth decay that may affect surrounding teeth, sudden pain in one or more wisdom teeth, cysts, and repeated infection. If you think you might be dealing with an impacted tooth, the staff at our dental clinic will be more than happy to assist you.
Wisdom Tooth
Extraction tool (dental elevator)
How Are Impacted Wisdom Teeth Removed?
To have your wisdom teeth extracted, you will need to get a minor surgical procedure is used. To ensure patient comfort during wisdom tooth removal, dental providers administer some kind of anaesthesia prior to the treatment. In most cases, a local anaesthetic does the trick but in rare conditions, sedation and even general anaesthesia may be employed, depending on the complexity of the job.
The surgical removal begins by prepping the area. An incision in the gum tissue is used to uncover more of the tooth structure so it’s easy to pull out. If there is bone, that makes it impossible for the dentist to reach the tooth root, they will remove it as necessary. Sometimes the tooth is much easier to extract in chunks rather than all at once. Hence, the technician will divide it into sections and work on them one by one.
Once the tooth comes out, the site has to be cleaned of any remaining particles. The wound may be left as is or it will be stitched with sutures. The last step is to apply gauze over the treatment area to keep minor bleeding under control.
Wisdom Tooth Surgery and Extraction Cost
The cost of wisdom tooth extraction in Singapore falls within the range of $695 to $1,658 per tooth. The price is formed based on the complexity of the job, the facility you go to, plus the use of anaesthesia. Everyone charges differently for these procedures.
And just so you know, the cost of wisdom tooth surgery is fully or partially covered by Medisave, which means you can claim reimbursement for the surgical extraction from your insurance provider.
Wisdom Tooth Surgery Process
The process of wisdom tooth surgery is not very different from other dental procedures.
Before impacted wisdom tooth surgery
Before you even begin, you will need to have a dental checkup to confirm that your wisdom teeth need to be extracted. After that, you will schedule an appointment with your dentist.
It is advisable that you undergo wisdom tooth removal on a full stomach because you will need to abstain from food for a few hours after that. You don’t have to do anything special to prepare for the treatment unless your surgeon tells you so. All you have to do is show up for your appointment. The staff will do the rest. When you arrive, they will sit you down and give you anaesthesia.
What to expect after wisdom tooth surgery?
Wisdom teeth removal surgery will leave a wound in your mouth that will cause jaw stiffness, swelling and oozing out of blood every now and then during the first 24-48 hours. There will be a blood clot formation in the tooth socket, the purpose of which is to prevent excessive bleeding.
There will also be discomfort and pain. To minimise facial swelling, add more pillows on your bed as you go to sleep to keep your head elevated. If the pain becomes unbearable, even though you’ve used pain medicine, this is a red flag. Do not hesitate to contact your dentist or oral surgeon. As the first week goes by so should the pain and discomfort.
Aftercare and Recovery of Impacted Wisdom Tooth Surgery
What to do
- Take your medication as prescribed. Since this is oral surgery, you may need antibiotic treatment to curb infection.
- As you go home, you want to apply cold on the side of your face that was affected during the wisdom tooth extraction.
- Wait for the local anaesthetic to fully wear off before you have a meal. On the first day you should stick with soft foods like Greek yoghurt, blended soups, scrambled eggs, mashed potatoes, mashed bananas, etc. You don’t want your mouth to be engaged with too much chewing. As time goes by, you will find that you get more and more comfortable eating.
- Maintain good oral hygiene. You may not be able to use a toothbrush on the first day but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t wash your teeth after eating. In the next days, you should brush with a soft toothbrush.
- You don’t have to postpone any activities after your treatment but you should consider getting more rest on the first day so that your body can use that energy to heal. Make sure you get enough quality sleep too. Sleep has been proven to affect the body’s abilities to repair. It has protective and restorative functions and is especially important for a fast wound healing process.
Things to avoid
- You should limit vigorous physical activities and let your body do its job.
- Keep your hands off the treatment site and do not stick anything in it. Foreign objects might contaminate the surgical wound causing gum infection.
- Do not rinse your mouth too aggressively. Simply place some rinsing solution in your mouth and move it gently around. It’s best to opt for salt water since it’s not as strong as commercial mouth rinses.
- Steer clear of alcohol. The last thing your body needs right now is something that will prohibit the healing process. Alcohol is known to kill bacteria - and we’re talking about the good bacteria here - so do yourself a favour and put down the glass of wine for at least a week after your surgical extraction.
Pain management
- You can easily manage pain episodes with some over-the-counter medication. Your dentist will probably prescribe you something but if they don’t, you can opt for Ibuprofen.
- Do not apply pressure to the wound site
- A cold compress (ice pack) may provide some pain relief but don’t overdo it
Why Choose Pristine Dentalworks for Your Wisdom Tooth Extraction and Surgery?
Pristine Dentalworks helps patients to walk all the way from damaged teeth to a beautiful smile. We can plan the entire journey and predict the results with confidence. While you are comfortably seated on the dental chair, we will perform all the tooth extraction steps in a careful and professional manner. We are equipped with a variety of tools and machines to provide a painless wisdom tooth extraction process with. Thanks to our equipment, we know where exactly to use our instruments so as not to cause nerve damage to the affected tissue or adjacent teeth.