Dr. Moore and his team want you to feel comfortable and relaxed leading up to your treatment. To help, we’ve compiled a list of common questions that we frequently receive from our patients, along with our answers.
Dr. Moore will administer IV sedation before the start of the procedure. The sedation allows you to enter into a more relaxed and comfortable state, and in most cases, patients recall little if anything from their treatment. After the sedation is working, Dr. Moore will make sure that you don’t experience pain during your procedure by administering local anesthesia to put the tooth or teeth to sleep.
While some people can let their wisdom teeth grow in without needing to worry about any issues developing, most patients don't have adequate room for them to properly erupt. Your dentist will recommend a treatment based on what they feel is best for your long-term oral health.
Many dentists recommend removing wisdom teeth at a younger age if they'll likely cause you issues later on. However, this is ultimately up to you. Having a lengthy conversation with your dentist about what they feel is best for your oral health is a great way to gain confidence and insight into moving forward with an extraction.
Wisdom teeth grow in between the ages of 17 and 25.
After having your surgery, you’ll need to be careful while cleaning your mouth. You can gently brush your surrounding teeth using a soft-bristled toothbrush after your procedure. Rinse your mouth three times each day with the prescribed oral rinse (Peridex), or substitute using warm salt water (an 8 oz. glass of water mixed with 1 teaspoon of salt).
If your dentist tells you that a wisdom tooth is impacted, it means that it’s trapped below your gumline. This can be due to the fact that it’s growing in at an angle or that there’s simply not enough room in your mouth to allow it to erupt. Either way, not removing an impacted wisdom tooth could put you at a higher risk of developing an oral infection.
You’ll feel more “awake” or alert 10-15 minutes after we stop the flow of medication in your IV, but the complete effects won’t wear off for about six hours, which is why it’s critical to have somebody with you at your appointment, to drive you home, and to help take care of you throughout the rest of the day.
A dry socket is a term used to describe an unpleasant, but not serious, post-operative condition or surgical side effect. It usually occurs 24-36 hours after surgery but can occur 48-72 hours later. An increasing amount of throbbing pain around the affected socket, which may radiate up to the ear or through the entire jaw, is an indication that you may have a dry socket. It is usually not accompanied by swelling or drainage from the extraction site. To alleviate the pain from a dry socket you may use the prescription pain medication. If it alleviates the pain, then the dry socket is minor and will not require any additional treatment. If the pain medication does not affect the pain, you should contact Dr. Moore. Dr. Moore may need to treat the dry socket at the office with a medicated dressing, which will help relieve the pain.
