Oral Surgery Specialist

Friendly Smiles Dental Care

Navdeep Aulakh, DDS

Dentist located in Burke, VA

If you’re experiencing pain or overcrowding of your teeth, you could be part of the 85% of Americans who eventually have their wisdom teeth removed. Navdeep Aulakh, DDS, at Friendly Smiles Dental Care in Burke, Virginia, which caters to the surrounding areas of Lorton, Springfield, and Annandale, Virginia, as well, provides a calming wisdom teeth extraction due to her gentle touch and soothing bedside manner. Call or book your appointment online today.

Oral Surgery Q & A

Why do people have their wisdom teeth removed?

Your third set of molars, referred to as the wisdom teeth, are often impacted meaning they have not fully emerged from your gums or grown in an incorrect direction. There are many dental issues you could experience like:

  • Damage to neighboring teeth
  • Overcrowding
  • Infections and preventing cavities
  • Bone loss

The removal of your wisdom teeth is a preventative measure to avoid future oral health disturbances.

While it is better to remove your wisdom teeth earlier than later, there is no set age for removing them as they tend to begin causing problems and erupt as a teenager or in early adulthood.

How does the wisdom teeth extraction procedure work?

Extracting wisdom teeth is an outpatient procedure in which Dr. Aulakh provides anesthesia in order to ensure you have a painless experience. Following this, she either carefully wiggles the wisdom tooth out of its socket, or she may need to make an incision in your gum tissue and remove the teeth by dividing it into sections.

If necessary, she then uses self-dissolving stitches to close the wound and places gauze over the extraction sites to help a blood clot form and eventually stop the bleeding.

What can I expect after the wisdom teeth extraction?

The procedure is relatively fast, lasting under two hours to remove all four of your wisdom teeth. After the surgery, you might experience redness, swelling, and soreness around the surgery sites. In addition, there will be bleeding for your first-day post-treatment, however, you should not feel any pain.

You should rest with little to no physical activity within the first two days. Following this, another three or four days are needed for a full recovery prior to resuming your daily activities.

Dr. Aulakh recommends staying away from caffeinated, carbonated, and hot beverages along with only eating soft foods for the first 24 hours. In addition, do not brush your teeth or rinse your mouth during the first 24 hours and use warm salt water every two hours and after every meal for a week.

In order to prevent future dental issues due to your wisdom teeth, call Friendly Smiles Dental Care today or schedule an appointment online.

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