Wisdom teeth extraction in Edmonton is a common procedure to prevent future dental problems and complications. Common as it is for dentists, we understand that it’ll only happen once for you and that it may feel stressful. The staff at our dental clinic near you will provide detailed instructions about the procedure and how to ensure a full and quick recovery, but it might be a lot to take in. Here’s an additional guide to what to expect relating to wisdom tooth extraction.
How to Prepare For Surgery
The best approach to preparing for wisdom tooth extractions in West Edmonton is to plan by getting all the relevant information and asking many important questions. Depending on your circumstances, here are five questions you should ask. The answers you get from our dental clinic in Edmonton will help you make the necessary plans for the day of your surgery:
- Will I be able to drive home after surgery? Or should I arrange a ride?
- I know my appointment time, but how early should I arrive?
- Can I eat and drink normally up to the date of the procedure? Or should I be fasting?
- I take prescription medication. Should I adjust the schedule or dosage before or after the surgery?
- Are there any non-prescription drugs that will cause problems if I take them before or after surgery?
What to Expect During Your Procedure?
Anesthesia
Not every wisdom tooth extraction procedure is the same, and not every patient’s circumstances are the same. Depending on the details of the surgery and your specific conditions, our dentist near you may recommend one of three levels of anesthesia to ensure you are comfortable during the procedure. There are three levels of anesthesia to consider depending on your procedure, comfort level and anxiety:
Local anesthesia is when our dentist injects anesthetic directly into the gums at the site of the intended extractions. Your gums will be completely numbed, so you’ll experience no pain — you will still experience pressure, movement and sounds — but remain completely awake.
Sedation is a common service dentist provide to ease the anxiety and potential pain associated with dental procedures, including wisdom tooth extractions. Sedation dentistry comes in three forms ranging from least powerful to most powerful: nitrous oxide (laughing gas) inhaled through a mask; oral sedative taken as a pill the evening before or shortly before your surgery; or general anesthesia administered through an intravenous injection.
While under general anesthesia, you will be completely unconscious during the procedure. The specially trained staff at our dental clinic in Edmonton will monitor your breathing, blood pressure, etc., throughout the procedure to ensure your comfort and safety.
The Steps Your Dentist Will Take
While no two wisdom tooth extractions are the same, they all include seven steps. Remember that this series of steps may need to be repeated depending on how many wisdom teeth are removed during surgery.
- An incision will be made in your gums to reveal the wisdom tooth and surrounding jawbone
- Any bones blocking access to the root of the tooth will be cut away
- The tooth may be reduced into smaller sections if it can not be easily removed in a single piece
- The wisdom tooth will be removed
- Our dentist will clean any debris away from the extraction site, jaw, and gums
- If necessary to promote the most efficient healing, our dentist may stitch the extraction site
- A piece of gauze will be placed over the extraction site to aid the development of a blood clot and to control bleeding.
Before you leave our dentist’s office, the staff at our dental clinic in Edmonton will provide you with detailed aftercare instructions to take home. Complying with those detailed instructions is essential to avoiding complications after your procedure. While rare complications are possible, any risk can be minimized by following our dentist’s instructions carefully.
The most important pieces of advice we can give you about preparing for and anticipating your wisdom teeth extraction are: get questions to all your questions on every point; and remember that, for our dentist, this is a routine procedure performed by professionally trained and experienced staff with just one objective — to ensure your health.