A Guide to the Complications of the Removal of Impacted Wisdom Teeth

What Complications Follow the Removal of Impacted Wisdom Teeth?

Wisdom tooth removal is a surgical procedure where one or more of the wisdom teeth are removed. Your wisdom teeth are the 4 teeth in each back corner of your mouth. They often appear during your late teenage years.

Sometimes, your jaw can already be full of your adult teeth, leaving no room for your wisdom teeth to erupt. Wisdom teeth that don’t erupt normally are known as impacted wisdom teeth.

Having impacted wisdom teeth removed can lead to medical complications.

Continue reading to find out what these complications are.

Pain in Your Mouth or Jaw

The most common side effect of wisdom teeth removal is pain. Wisdom teeth are removed by a dentist or oral surgeon.

The dentist removes your top wisdom teeth by loosening it from its socket. The whole procedure is done under local anesthetic so you won’t feel any pain at all.

Your bottom wisdom teeth are extracted via a surgical incision and breakdown of the bone and tooth. Often, this procedure is done under general anesthetic, especially if multiple wisdom teeth are being removed.

Dry Sockets

Dry socket is a painful condition that can develop after a tooth is removed. During the normal healing process, a blood clot forms in the socket to protect the exposed bone and nerves.

If this blood clot dissolves or becomes dislodged after the procedure, then the bones and nerves are exposed. This can cause severe pain and infection in the socket.

You are more likely to develop dry socket if you smoke, have poor oral hygiene, use birth control pills or have your wisdom teeth pulled.

The symptoms of dry socket include a dry opening where your tooth was, and pain radiating towards your ear. Dry socket is treated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for the pain, and anti-biotics if it’s infected.

Paresthesia in Your Mouth or Jaw

This is the technical term for ‘pins and needles’. It is where there has been pressure on a nerve or blood supply for an extended period of time leading to a tingling sensation.

This is a rare complication from having your wisdom teeth extracted. Wisdom teeth are often trapped in the jawbone, close to nerves. If these nerves are bruised or damaged during the removal process, then this can lead to paresthesia.

Normally it occurs in the tongue, lip or chin area and lasts a few days. If the nerves were permanently damaged during the procedure, you may have permanent numbness.

Impacted Wisdom Teeth: Get Treated Quickly

Once you are diagnosed with impacted wisdom teeth, it’s important to get them removed quickly before they cause damage in your mouth.

If you don’t get them removed, they will likely cause pain, movement of your teeth and may get infected. Seek treatment with a professional dental practice today by finding a dentist near you.

For more dental advice, take a look at the other articles on our blog.