Did Your Dentist Recommend Having Your Wisdom Teeth Pulled? What You Need to Know

As a family dental clinic in Cincinnati, we see our fair share of patients who need to have their wisdom teeth taken out. We look at it like a coming of age, like a driver’s license, going off to college, starting your first job. But not everyone needs to have it done. If your teeth are correctly positioned in your mouth where they aren’t causing you any pain or problems, the procedure is probably not necessary. Talk to your Springdale dentist for individual assessment.

Why Wisdom Teeth May Need to Be Removed

When wisdom teeth grow in, they sometimes take up too much space in the mouth. This can crowd out the rest of your teeth, causing pain and an irregular jawline. Not every wisdom tooth needs to come out. It depends on the spacing in your mouth. It’s a decision best left to your dentist or oral surgeon.

What Age Should They Come Out?

Contrary to popular belief, there’s really no correct age. It really can vary according to the individual. While most people get them removed in the early to late 20s, some people don’t until far into adulthood, and others can keep their teeth for the rest of their lives. In fact, some people don’t even have wisdom teeth. Regardless, not having wisdom teeth, or even not needing them removed as they grow in, is fairly rare. But we do see it occasionally.

What Happens If You Don’t Have Them Removed?

We often recommend extracting them because they can be painful and can damage or obstruct the growth of other healthier teeth. Wisdom teeth tend to grow perpendicularly to your second molars. This can throw off your bite and leave pocket room for food to gather, which leads to cavities and other infections. If your dentist recommends the procedure, it’s best to go through with it, the sooner the better. The longer you wait, the greater chance for complications from the procedure.

How to Prepare?

First, don’t eat anything the night before. Having food in your stomach can disrupt the sedatives used during the operation.

We also recommend not sleeping much the night before. Feel free to binge watch Netflix until dawn and catch up on Stranger Things. The more you can sleep through your recovery, the better. Clear your schedule the next day. You’ll barely be able to get out of bed.

After extraction, eating can be painful. Stick to soft foods. Hummus, yogurt, scrambled eggs are a safe bet. You can even reward your bravery with a tall milkshake, a smoothie, or gelato.