\Unlike the name suggests, Wisdom teeth do not make you smarter, but they do complete the teeth set and often proved to be valuable if they grow properly. However, if the wisdom teeth do not come out of the gums properly which causes problems, and are recommended to be removed as soon as possible. 

The final set of the molar, the wisdom teeth, are typically seen developing during the late teenage or the early twenties. There could be as many as four wisdom teeth, one each at the back-end of your upper and lower end of the teeth set. If these molars come out of the gum properly, they complete the teeth set and provides better support while chewing food. In most cases though, wisdom teeth cause more problems than benefits. The most common symptoms are wisdom teeth coming out of the gums at an angle and grow inwards, outwards, or towards the adjacent tooth. This not only disrupts the alignment but can also damage the adjacent tooth. A poorly aligned wisdom tooth can cause a lot of pain while growing out of the gum. Other than the pain, wisdom teeth can cause more problems to the bone structure of your jaw as well as the gums. 

Millions of wisdom teeth are removed by professionals worldwide every year. The procedures are largely simple, barring a few exceptional cases, and do not cause much pain. Professionals always recommend detecting the wisdom tooth’s growth as early as possible.

Removal Procedure 

Early detection of your misaligned wisdom tooth can save you from a lot of pain and problems. Through a simple x-ray, your dentist can determine whether the wisdom tooth is growing abruptly from your gum. In case of severity or complexity of the results, you may have to visit a dental surgeon. This is to determine whether the wisdom tooth is required to be removed by surgery. 

Even before the wisdom tooth is grown, it is often removed to avoid future complications or complicated removal processes. The removal process is less complicated and less painful if it is detected early and done on young people. The longer you wait, the roots of a wisdom tooth develop further and become difficult to remove. 

In the majority of cases, the removal of a wisdom tooth which has grown out of the gum is very simple. At first, the professional will apply a local anesthetic to sedate the adjacent gums and area of the tooth. If the roots are developed and the extraction might take a little longer, the professional may also use additional sedating medication. This will ensure the patent will feel little to no pain at all. The tooth is then loosened first with the help of a tool named elevator. The loosened tooth is then extracted by using a plier-like tool named dental forceps. After extracting the tooth, the area is cleaned properly to ensure no debris is left behind. Due to the extraction of the tooth, you may see some bleeding but it is nothing to be worried about. To stop the bleeding the professional will apply some gauge and medication to further ease any pain.

If a wisdom tooth has not grown out of the gum properly and the x-ray suggests a severe misalignment from the roots, it may have to be removed through surgery. 

The After Effects 

Post extraction, the first thing that is done is stopping the bleeding. By placing a gauge, pressure is applied periodically. If any heavy bleeding is experienced even after few hours of the procedure, it is highly recommended to contact your dentist. 

The most common thing you will experience after the procedure is swelling in your face and numbness. You might also feel sore for a few hours and if there were any complications or bruises while extracting the soreness might stay for a couple of days. A very common recommendation to overcome these problems is to gargle with lukewarm saltwater after every 2 to 3 hours.

In case of surgery, you will feel a little more pain or soreness. To relieve the pain, the surgeon will prescribe you medication that might make you feel a little unsteady. Smoking, chewing hard food, drinking a chilled drink, or very hot beverages is not recommended for a few days.

The procedure is simple and doesn’t put you off of your daily routine for long. After a normal extraction, you can get back to your normal life immediately and start working from the very next day. If you had surgery to remove the wisdom tooth you might have to rest for a couple of days and recover from the grogginess from the medication and soreness. 

In short, wisdom tooth removal is not a very complicated and painful procedure but t s a very important one, sometimes unavoidable. Hundreds of people go through this process worldwide and go back to live a normal life immediately.