Wisdom Tooth Extraction
Do they actually need to come out?
No, not as a matter of course.
A wisdom tooth that has come through straight, works, and can be cleaned has no reason to be removed. Extraction is decided on a problem observed or clearly foreseeable, not on the tooth existing.
What justifies it: a partially erupted tooth where the gum becomes infected repeatedly, decay on it or on the molar next to it that its position makes untreatable, a cyst, or a position that is damaging the neighbouring tooth. The rest is monitored.
The assessment beforehand
The radiograph is mostly looking at what runs underneath.
The radiograph shows the shape and number of roots, how they are angled, and how close they come to two structures that decide how the procedure goes: the inferior alveolar nerve below, the maxillary sinus above.
Where a root appears to touch the nerve, that changes the technique and sometimes the decision itself. It is that reading, more than how difficult the tooth looks in the mouth, that determines whether the extraction is simple or surgical.
How the extraction goes
Under local anaesthetic, in one appointment.
A fully erupted tooth comes out like any other. An impacted or angled tooth requires opening the gum, sometimes removing a little bone and sectioning the tooth to take it out in pieces — which is gentler than forcing a root.
The site is then sutured. The procedure is not painful: the anaesthetic does its job, and what the patient feels is pressure rather than pain. For a very anxious patient, sedation is discussed beforehand.
Learn more about sedationAfterwards: pain, swelling, eating
Swelling peaks on the second day, not the first.
Swelling builds for forty-eight hours before going down: the second day is almost always worse than the first, and that does not mean something has gone wrong. Cold applied on the first day limits it.
Eat cold or lukewarm, soft, on the other side. Three things matter more than the rest for a few days: do not smoke, do not rinse vigorously, and do not drink through a straw — the suction can dislodge the clot.
How long recovery takes
A few days for ordinary life, weeks for the bone.
Day-to-day discomfort usually lasts three to five days, a little longer after a surgical extraction. Stitches, where there are any, come out about a week later.
The gum closes over in two to three weeks; the bone takes several months to fill the socket, without your noticing. Planning two or three quiet days afterwards is more realistic than expecting to carry on the next morning.
The risks, and how they are prevented
Dry socket and the nerve, essentially.
Dry socket is the most common complication: the clot is lost and the bone left exposed, causing strong pain two to four days later, just as things were improving. It is treated at an appointment and prevented by not smoking and not rinsing hard.
On lower teeth, a root close to the nerve can leave the lip or chin numb, usually temporarily. That is exactly what the radiograph is looking for beforehand, and sometimes the reason not to remove a tooth that is causing no trouble.
Wisdom Tooth Extraction — Frequently Asked Questions
- Should all four come out at once?
- It is a matter for discussion. Taking them all at once concentrates the recovery into one period, which suits somebody travelling in. Doing one side at a time lets you chew on the other while it heals.
- Does it hurt?
- Not during: local anaesthetic removes the pain and you feel only pressure. Afterwards, moderate pain for a few days, covered by the painkillers prescribed.
- Can it be done during a short stay?
- Yes, it is a one-trip procedure. Allow two or three quiet days afterwards, and avoid scheduling the extraction the day before a flight.
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Villa N° 15, à côté de la mosquée At-Taqwa
Daily except Friday — 08:30 to 16:30