When considering the removal of wisdom teeth, one cannot help but wonder when would be the best time to schedule the surgery. Not only the date for the surgery needs to be taken into consideration but also the recovery time.
Firstly, a comprehensive dental examination should be performed to determine if a referral to an oral surgeon for further evaluation of the wisdom teeth is indicated. If so, the oral surgeon will evaluate the wisdom teeth and discuss what is needed to be done pre and post-surgery and also inform the patient about what to expect during recovery.
Patients need to be closely monitored by their general dentist in order for the dentist to be able to determine if, at some point, a referral to an oral surgeon is advised. The dentist will be able to foresee eminent problems and refer to a qualified oral surgeon in case the early removal of wisdom teeth may prevent serious pain and infection or even damage to nearby molars in the future.
The oral surgeon will need to evaluate the wisdom teeth in order to find out if it is really necessary for the patient to go through the surgery and also to find out if this is the right time to have them removed. A thorough medical assessment will also be done by the oral surgeon to make sure the patient is a candidate for surgery.
In general, it is much easier to have the wisdom teeth removed around the age of 18 when the wisdom teeth roots are not yet completely formed and hooked to the jaw bone which makes it harder during and after surgery.
Another factor that makes the surgery and recovery a much smoother process is having them removed when the patient is not experiencing any pain or discomfort and there is no infection present around the wisdom teeth.
Recovery takes a few days. On the first two to three days patients will usually experience some swelling and discomfort. After the first few days healing progresses quickly. Patients may only have to take the first two days off from work or school. A soft diet will be necessary until the patient feels comfortable eating regular foods again. Patients should follow all doctors’ recommendations and take it easy until they feel like they can go back to any strenuous physical activities.