Wisdom at the Cost of Pain: Removing Impacted Molars

People would generally have most of their permanent teeth fully functional in their jaws when they’re still in elementary school, then there would be four more teeth that begin to emerge by the time they reach 18. These four other teeth are the third and last molars, which are also called wisdom teeth.

Although some people don’t experience any difficulties when these other teeth emerge, others suffer from impacted molars when these teeth fail to grow normally.

Wisdom teeth become impacted when they aren’t given a clear and spacious enough path to grow and push their way out of the gums. This could result in the teeth growing sideways, at an angle, or even trapped entirely below the gum line, which causes different problems for your other teeth and jaws.

Since teeth are clumped tightly together, undue pressure from teeth against adjacent ones could result in damage to the enamel, thereby opening the possibility of tooth decay and tooth loss. The pressure of erupting wisdom teeth in jaws with inadequate space can also result in insufferable pain.

The problem, however, doesn’t stop there. Although most people would only feel pain and discomfort every now and then, severe cases could cause tumors and cysts because of the damage that impacted teeth are causing. You could have wounds under the gums as well as crushed bones that would slowly but surely create even more problems.

What you could do to avoid these problems is have all four wisdom teeth removed if a panoramic x-ray shows they are impacted. After all, people can function with two sets of molars just as well as they can with three.

Tips on Treating Facial Injuries

People who engage in certain types of sporting events like football, hockey, and martial arts are constantly in danger of suffering from facial injury. Whether the injury is sustained via a well-placed punch, by diving face-first into the ground, or by any other cause, it’s important to know how to handle such ailments.

Inspect the full extent of the injury to determine the areas to watch out for, to prevent causing any further damage. Should there be excessive bleeding, apply pressure and perform the appropriate first aid procedures, then get help from medical professionals. In some such cases, the victim might be in need of oral surgery.

If the injury is not considered critical, clean the injured area off blood and dirt. Treat broken skin by swabbing it with a towel soaked with warm, soapy water until the wound is clean enough. Gently pat the surface dry.

Apply antibiotic ointment around the wound, carefully dabbing so as not to cause the skin further damage. Include the areas surrounding the wound in your ointment application, then dress the wound with an antiseptic bandage, keeping it in place with tape if needed.

The victim should have his bandage replaced at least every eight to twelve hours after the first application. Should any signs of redness, swelling, oozing pus, and frequent pains ensue, the wound may have been infected. Call a medical professional for the appropriate intervention.

How to Find A Good Oral Surgeon

Oral surgeons or maxillofacial surgeons are known as dental and surgical care specialists. These professionals are trained to deal with diseases and injuries of the mouth, soft tissues of the head, teeth, gums, neck, and jaw. They have certified training in reconstructive surgery, anesthesia, and are adept at removing wisdom teeth, cysts and tumors, and treating facial pain.

In order to find a good oral surgeon, the first thing you should do is ask your dentist for a referral. Your trusted dentist should know who the reputable oral surgeons are in the dental network of your locality. You can also talk to your friends and ask for recommendations. Your friend’s experience can help you decide if you should choose a certain oral surgeon, depending on how he or she handles a patient.

Most importantly, you should make sure that the oral surgeon has the necessary credentials. Extensive experience and training should be part of the oral surgeon’s resume as well as having a good reputation and providing a comfortable environment for patients. Knowing if your surgeon is a member of a professional organization can also help you make your decision. Moreover, if you are seeking financial aid, you should make sure that the surgeon accepts insurance to cover the treatment cost. You may also inquire about available financial options offered by the surgeon.

Get Whiter Teeth in 5 Easy Ways

Watch what you drink

Many people drink coffee or tea to ‘wake up’ in the morning. But these, along with other dark-colored beverages such as red wine, soda, or fruit juices, can stain your teeth. It’s important to brush your teeth as soon as possible after enjoying such drinks. It may also be useful to know that drinking through a straw may help lessen contact of such liquids with your teeth.

Kick that filthy smoking habit

Aside from the undoubted health risks of smoking, a common undesirable side effect is the yellowing or browning of teeth caused by the presence of nicotine and tar in tobacco products.

Eat right

Adding fruits and vegetables like apples, celery, pears, and carrots to your diet can act as tooth whiteners – and they help clean the teeth, too! Additionally, chewing sugarless gum after a meal can cause your mouth to produce more saliva that can also help wash away acid buildup in your mouth.

Try tooth-bleaching products or home remedies

Aside from toothpaste and mouthwash, products like whitening pens or strips can help whiten teeth faster and easier. You can even use common household and kitchen items like baking soda or salt to do the trick.

Use your good ol’ toothbrush

Dentists cannot stress enough how important it is to brush your teeth three times a day or after every meal. They also encourage people to floss at least every day to better remove food particles, plaque, and bacteria buildup that cause tooth decay.

Why a Wisdom Tooth Needs to be Extracted

Wisdom tooth extraction is done to remove one or more teeth that are located at the back corners of the mouth. Once you have an impacted wisdom tooth, there is no doubt that you will feel pain and other dental problems, which will call for immediate extraction or removal.

Some people may never have wisdom teeth, while others that have them don’t experience any discomfort at all. However, there are still people who suffer the consequences of an impacted wisdom tooth that needs to be removed right away to remove the pain. An impacted wisdom tooth may grow at an angle toward the adjacent tooth or to the back of the mouth, and sometimes a wisdom tooth may grow straight but stays trapped in the jawbone.

If the impacted tooth is not removed, the person may feel persistent pain and could even have an infection in the future. It can also affect the health of adjacent teeth or develop a fluid-filled sac or a cyst, and worse, the impacted tooth may likewise damage the surrounding bone.

Wisdom teeth extraction is considered as an outpatient procedure, so you can go home once it is done. The operation may be carried out in your dentist’s office, but if your tooth is seriously impacted and the extraction could become complicated, your dentist may refer you to an oral surgeon first.

The Purpose of Dental Implants

A person’s first set of teeth, also known as “milk teeth”, will eventually fall off and be replaced with new ones – the permanent teeth. Unfortunately, as its name implies, permanent teeth won’t be replaced when they fall off. When extracted, they’ll be gone for good, and the only way to replace them is to use dentures. The problem with conventional dentures, however, is that they imitate appearance but not strength of real teeth.

However, with the advent of dental implants, people who lost their teeth to oral diseases such as cavities and gum recession or to accidents have found a new hope. Dental implants are a restorative device designed to imitate the look and most importantly, the function of teeth. Titanium alloy is usually used in producing these devices to prevent them from corroding inside the gums and bones.

Dental implant installation normally requires a series of appointments. During the first appointment, the dentist will examine the gum area where the implant will be installed. Ideally, there should be enough bone mass to hold and support the implants. Otherwise, the installed implants may not perform well or worse may fall all after a couple months.

The inventor of the dental implant is being hailed for the usefulness of his device. Those whose speech and appetite have been severely affected by tooth loss are now hopeful about putting their life back in equilibrium.

Anesthesia Helps Patients with Dental Fear

Some people can’t stand the thought of sitting on a dental chair that they avoid any type of dental treatment at all costs. On the other hand, there are a number of dental treatments that should never be foregone, and no matter how afraid a patient may be, such dental procedures just have to be done for their own good. For these patients, general anesthesia or intravenous sedation is the key to help them get the treatment they need.

General anesthesia is a medically-induced loss of consciousness. It enables a patient to endure surgical procedures that would otherwise cause unbearable pain, extreme physiological reactions, and unpleasant memories. However, general anesthesia affects the central nervous system in different ways, which means each patient will react to it differently.

If your dentist says that you’ll need to undergo general anesthesia for your dental treatment, it’s possible for you to experience vomiting, nausea, sore throat, sleepiness, and shivering after the procedure, so be sure to have a responsible adult to accompany you to and from the dentist’s office. Also, avoid any strenuous activities for a maximum of two weeks after surgery.

Pain doesn’t have to be part of your journey towards a healthy mouth and set of teeth. If you’ve received general anesthesia before, it will do you well to remember the details of that experience to give you an idea of how it will affect your upcoming dental surgery or treatment. As with every surgical procedure, being prepared is essential.

Best Kinds of Food to Eat After Dental Surgery

Whether you’ve undergone dental implant surgery or wisdom tooth removal, you will likely experience various uncomfortable sensations that will probably make you want to swear off food for a while. However, starving yourself because you’re in pain isn’t healthy either. Hence, it’s important that you meet your daily nutritional needs by eating the following food items:

Soft fruits like bananas should keep you away from the fear of biting into something your pain sensors would make you regret. If you’re craving for some juicy yet crunchy apples, you could make them more teeth-friendly by placing them inside a blender or food processor, and turning them into a tasty juice drink or slushy shake. Until you’re completely healed, it’s also best for you to avoid dried fruits.

For your main course, opt for a nice, warm bowl of oatmeal for your carbohydrate and fiber needs, just make sure that it isn’t too hot so as to irritate the area where the surgery was performed. Don’t forget your protein, too, wherein the softest meat you could probably get your hands (and teeth) on would be fish, maybe some flaked tuna or small slices of cooked salmon.

Keep away from hot drinks in the first few days post-surgery, but don’t use straws for your cold drinks either, since the suction could cause complications after certain surgical procedures, such as wisdom tooth extraction, for instance. Finally, stay away from alcoholic beverages, especially if you’re taking painkillers.

Wisdom Teeth Removal—The Process

Tooth extraction is a common dental treatment method that involves pulling off a tooth that is either impacted or decayed. However, when dealing with wisdom a tooth, the method becomes a little more complex. Unlike the other tooth types, a wisdom tooth is embedded deeper into the gums and jawbones, which makes the extraction process all the more difficult.

The procedure of extracting a wisdom tooth starts with the injection of anesthesia to numb the area where the impacted or decayed tooth is located. In some cases, particularly if the patient is suffering from dental anxiety or if several wisdom teeth will be removed, general anesthesia will be administered. Other sedation methods may be performed depending on the dentist’s diagnosis of the patient’s condition.

Once the anesthetic has done its job, the dentist will then widen the gum surrounding the wisdom tooth to reveal the tooth root and the bone holding it. Portions of the jawbone may be removed to loosen up the tooth until it’s ready for extraction. When the bone is holding the tooth tightly, the dentist may have to cut the tooth into pieces to be able to deal with the tooth root easily.

 Stitching may be required after the extraction, depending on the size of the wound. Some stitches dissolve over time, while others need to be removed by the dentist. Patients should keep in mind any post-operative instruction the dentist will give them after the operation.

Dental Implants Provide Natural-Looking False Teeth

If you have missing tooth or teeth, false dentures or bridgework can be able replacements. However, have you noticed how awkward it is sometimes for people with artificial teeth to talk or eat? They can cause a lot of embarrassing situations, especially when these oral helpers don’t fit perfectly.

Fortunately, there’s a better alternative to false dentures or bridgework that can look and fit like the natural thing: dental implants. They are the perfect solutions to missing or damaged teeth because they function just like natural teeth, meaning you can eat all the favorite food items that you used to love with them without worrying they might fall off. Most people don’t even notice the difference between dental implants and natural teeth.

Dental implants are teeth held by metal, screw-like posts done through surgery in place of tooth roots. The surgery usually takes place in stages and includes several procedures. It may take a while, but the result is a strong solid support for your new teeth that you can eventually use as if you haven’t lost your original teeth.

You’ll need to remove and refasten false teeth, but you won’t need to do this with dental implants because they are permanent. They are also durable and can last for a lifetime if properly maintained like real teeth. If you want to regain your self-esteem and the appearance of natural teeth, dental implants will serve the purpose.