Home » General Dentistry » Cosmetic Dental Teeth Procedures » Houston Wisdom Teeth Extraction

In addition to cosmetic dentistry practices, the Houston Medical Center Dental Group also performs all standard general dentistry procedures for the health and well-being of its patients.  One of the most important of these services is wisdom teeth extraction.

Often referred to as third molars, these large teeth in the very back of the jaw are the very last to emerge, normally between the ages of 15-25.  Normally, by the time they come in, there is little or no room for them in the mouth.  They become impacted, which means they become wedged against adjacent teeth, bone, or soft tissue.

Almost every patient we see in our Houston dental office invariably asks us the same question:

Why isn't there enough room for my wisdom teeth?

The answer is evolution.  Our ancient ancestors had larger, more powerful jaws that had more room for more teeth.  As humans began to use tools and cook food, however, the workload on the jaw bone diminished.  As a result, the size of the human jaw bone has gotten smaller, but the number of teeth in the jaw has remained the same.  Consequently, through the course of evolution, the human jaw has decreased in size, but the number of teeth remains the same. So, when wisdom erupt, they seldom have enough room to properly grow and align with other teeth.  , there's usually just not enough room to accommodate them properly.

In most cases, this creates all sorts of problems when they become impacted.  Some of these problems are minor, but most are serious enough to warrant immediate dental attention.  These problems include, but are not limited to, the following:

·         Infection

·         Jaw pain and stiffness

·         Periodontal disease

·         tooth decay

·         Tumors and cysts

If you even so much as suspect wisdom teeth emerging in your mouth, you should call our Houston Medical Center office and schedule an examination.  We will probably recommend removing them as soon as possible to prevent any of the serious problems above from ever occurring.  It is never a good idea to put off seeking treatment for a dental condition.  Dental conditions either do not exist to begin with, or they exist and get worse when neglected. 

Like we mentioned, it may not be necessary to remove wisdom teeth, but this must be determined professionally after a thorough dental examination.  We typically we track wisdom tooth development using X-rays.  If it is clear that these third molars will not grow in to an acceptable position, we will recommend their extraction. 

The removal of impacted wisdom teeth is considered a surgical procedure.  We have to first remove the gums over the tooth and pull back the connective tissue that is attached to the tooth.  After this, the tooth is extracted, and the gum is stitched back into place.

 
We will also thoroughly examine your medical records to determine the best level of anesthesia to give you.  A trained anesthesiologist will administer it.  We want you to be completely comfortable during the procedure. So we may prescribe a sedative for you to take if you have pre-op anxiety. 

You will have to take a few days off work or school. Wear comfortable, loose clothing, and do not drive yourself to or from the dentist.  Follow all specific post-operative instructions after the procedure.  In about a week we will see you for a follow-up visit about a week after the surgery to make sure you are healing well.