What You Need to Know About Impacted Wisdom Teeth

If your third molars are unable to erupt into your mouth, you have impacted wisdom teeth. This is caused by a barrier, such as other teeth, or if your tooth is sitting at an angle.

You’ll ideally want to get these removed as a younger adult to prevent serious complications, or even to prevent problems when your actual wisdom teeth surgery takes place. (Your wisdom teeth will erupt between the ages of 18 to 25).

Symptoms of Impacted Wisdom Teeth Include:

  • Pain / toothache
  • Headache
  • Jaw pain
  • Pain in the side of your face
  • Swelling in your mouth
  • Swollen lymph nodes in your neck
  • Difficulty opening your jaw
  • Bad breath
  • Unpleasant taste when you are eating

Do I Need to Remove My Impacted Teeth if They Don’t Hurt?

It is definitely a good idea to get them removed, even if there are no signs of symptoms. They could still cause you issues down the road, such as tooth damage, abscesses, and decay. Your dentist or oral surgeon will be able to discuss your situation with you, as everyone is different.

To book a consultation with Dr. K. Bahi for impacted wisdom teeth extraction in Surrey,  please call us at New England Oral & Cosmetic Facial Surgery today: 604-507-0514.

What is a Dry Socket?

After getting your teeth extracted, under normal circumstances, a blood clot forms in that area. The blood clot serves as a protective layer over the nerve endings and bone in the empty tooth socket. It also provides a foundation for the growth of new bone and development of soft tissue.

The problem lies when this blood clot fails to develop. Alternatively, the blood clot may have formed, but dislodged or dissolved before the wound healed.

This is when you may suffer from a dry socket. When there is no clot, the socket (area where your tooth was removed) gets inflamed and the bone and nerves are exposed. You will then suffer from intense pain, in both the socket and along the side of the face. Food and debris can also get lost in the socket.

A dry socket can also be caused from bacteria in the socket or trauma from a difficult tooth extraction, such as with an impacted wisdom tooth.

Aside from the severe pain, other symptoms include:

  • Bad breath
  • Visible bone in the socket
  • Unpleasant taste in your mouth

Over the counter pain medication is not enough to treat this, so don’t just wait around thinking it will get better on it’s own. You will need to re-visit your dentist or oral surgeon for treatment. The sooner, the better!

For Surrey wisdom teeth extraction, call us to book a consultation at New England Cosmetic Oral & Facial Surgery: 604-507-0514