Oral Surgery

Dental Surgery

What is an Impacted Tooth?

A tooth becomes impacted when there is a lack of space in the dental arch and its growth and eruption are prevented by overlying gum, bone or another tooth.

How serious is an Impacted Tooth?

Impacted teeth can be painful and lead to infection. They may also crowd or damage adjacent teeth or roots. More serious problems may occur if the sac surrounding the impacted tooth becomes filled with fluid and enlarges to form a cyst. As the cyst grows it may hollow out the jaw and permanently damage adjacent teeth, surrounding bone and nerves. Rarely, if a cyst is not treated, a tumor may develop from its walls and a more serious surgical procedure may be required to remove it. Despite the considerable concern regarding impacted third molars, a recent study sponsored by the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons and the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Foundation finds that third molars which have broken through the tissue and erupted into the mouth in a normal, upright position may be as prone to disease as those third molars tha remain impacted.

Dental Surgery

Must the tooth come out if it hasn't caused any problems yet?

Not all problems related to third molars are painful or visible. Damage can occur without your being aware of it. As wisdom teeth grow, their roots become longer, the teeth become more difficult to remove and complications become more likely. In addition, impacted wisdom teeth are more likely to cause problems as patients age. No on can predict when third molar implications will occur, but when they do, the circumstances can be much more painful and the teeth more difficult to treat. It is estimated that about 85% of third molars will eventually need to be removed.

When should I have my wisdom teeth removed?

Dental Surgery

Impacted teeth can be painful and lead to infection. They may also crowd or damage adjacent teeth or roots. Although they can be removed at anytime the ideal age is between the ages of 17 and 23. More serious problems may occur is the sac surrounding the impacted tooth becomes filled with fluid and enlarges to form a cyst. As the cyst grows it may hollow out the jaw and permanently damage adjacent teeth, the surrounding bone and nerves. Rarely, if a cyst is not treated, a tumor may develop its walls and a more surgical procedure may be required to remove it. Despite the considerable concern regarding impacted third molars, a recent study by the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons and the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Foundation finds that third molars which have broken through the tissue and erupted into the mouth in a normal, upright position may be as prone to diseas as those third molars that remain impacted.

What happens during surgery?

Before surgery, your oral and maxillofacial surgeon will discuss with you what to expect. This is a good time to ask questions or express your concerns. It is especially important to let the doctor know about any illness you have and medications you are taking. Most wisdom tooth extractions are performed in the oral and maxillofacial surgery office under local anesthesia, intravenous sedation or general anesthesia. Your oral and maxillofacial surgeon will discuss the anesthetic option that is right for you.

What happens after surgery?

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Following surgery, you may experience some swelling and mild discomfort, which are part of the normal healing process. Cold compresses may help decrease the swelling, and medication prescribed by your Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon can help manage the discomfort. You may be instructed to modify your diet following surgery and later progress to more normal foods.

What is an Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon?

The oral and maxillofacial surgeon is a graduate of an accredited dental school who has completed an additional four or more years of training in an accredited, hospital-based oral and maxillofacial surgery residency program.

What are potential complications of Wisdom Tooth Removal?

Some of the more important complications after having your wisdom teeth removed include:

Dry Socket

Dry Socket is a common complication that occurs when either a blood clot has failed to form in the extracted tooth socket or else the blood clot that did form has been dislodged. Without clot formation, healing will be delayed. When it happens, dry socket typically occurs 3 or 4 days following the extraction and is accompanied by pain (randing from 'dull' to moderate to severe) and a foul mouth odor. Your dentis or oral surgeon will treat the dry socket by placing medication in the socket. Dental Surgery

Paresthesia

Paresthesia is a less frequently occuring complication. Wisdom teeth entrapped in the jawbone are often close to nerves. sometimes these nerves can be bruised or damaged during the tooth removal process. The result is a numbness (called a Paresthesia) of the tongue, lip, or chin tha tcan last a few days, weeks, months or even be permanent.

Injury to Teeth

Damage to fillings and adjacent teeth, to bridgework or to surrounding bone can occur during the removal of impacted wisdom teeth. Even the best surgeon will occassionally have this type of complication. This is rare and happens to less than 1 in 100 people.

Sinus Complications

The upper wisdom teeth roots are very close to maxillary sinus and some people even have roots that go into the sinus. An opening into the sinus after the removal of wisdom teeth occurs once in a while. If this occurs it is likely that bacteria can prevent healing and get into the sinus. This infection does not respond well to antibiotics and often requires additional surgery to drain the sinus. Dental Surgery

Jaw Fracture

In very rare cases, the removal of a wisdom tooth will weaken the jaw bone. This is due to the obligatory removal of bone to obtain access to the impacted tooth. It is very rare of the jaw to fracture during and after the removal of a wisdom tooth due to weakening and chewing normal foods.

Infection

Infection following the surgical removal of wisdom teeth happens to about 1 or 2 out of 100 people. Signs of infection include fever above 100 degrees, abnormal swelling, pain or a saltry or prolonged bad taste, with or without evidence of discharge from the surgical site.

Root Fragments

This happens to about 5 in 100 people. You might need to have the fragment removed if it causes problems. Ususually the fragement is close to a nerve or adjacent sinus. Removal of the root tip could jeopardize adjacent structures. The oral surgeon uses his clinical expertise to determine the benefit to risk ratio of removing a root tip. the fragments can be monitored using x-rays.

Olympia Fields Dental Associates services patients in the following communities for cosmetic dentistry, general dentistry and family dentistry; Frankfort, Olympia Fields, Matteson,
Flossmoor, Homewood, Park Forest, Richton Park, Chicago Heights, Mokena, Tinley Park, Oak Forest, Manteno, Monee, Northwest Indiana, as well as other Chicagoland regions.