Has your dentist informed you that it is time to have your wisdom teeth extracted? You likely will have the following questions about the procedure before it happens.

Do Wisdom Teeth Need To Be Removed? 

It is incredibly common for wisdom teeth to be extracted when they start to come in. That's because there is not typically enough room in the average person's mouth for the teeth to grow properly. They can grow at odd angles and cause discomfort, grow completely underneath the gums and cause pain, and cause impaction with surrounding teeth. This leads to more tooth decay and cavities. In addition, wisdom teeth are much harder to clean than your rear molars. Even if you keep your wisdom teeth, they're more susceptible to decay than your other teeth because you'll likely have trouble brushing them.

Will You Be Awake During The Procedure?

Your dentist always uses a local anesthetic in order to reduce the amount of pain you would normally feel from having your wisdom teeth extracted. However, it is possible to request IV sedation so that you are not fully awake for the procedure. You'll be responsive while it is happening, but afterward, you won't remember a thing about what happened. 

What Is The Recovery Like After A Tooth Extraction?

It will take a couple of days to recover from having your wisdom teeth extracted. It is common to take antibiotics to reduce the chance of infection after having surgery, as well as pain relievers to deal with any discomfort. It is recommended that you take it easy, not put too much stress on your body, and follow the instructions from your dentist.

During the first day after the procedure, you'll need to use cold compresses to reduce any swelling in the area. You should avoid brushing around the extraction site, since you may dislodge a blood clot that is forming in the socket. 

How Do You Prevent The Blood Clot From Becoming Dislodged?

There are several ways that a blood clot can become dislodged. In addition to taking care when brushing, you need to avoid putting pressure on your gums. This can happen from sucking on straws, aggressively swishing, eating hard foods, and touching the extraction site. You should also avoid hot and caffeinated beverages, which can be bad for the healing process. If you are a smoker, you'll want to avoid smoking due to how it can affect blood flow to the extraction site. 

Contact your dentist to learn more about tooth removal.