Wisdom Tooth Extractions – Ellicott City, MD
Carefully Removing
Your Third Molars
The wisdom teeth will typically begin to erupt in your mouth during your late teens or early twenties. Needless to say, this is long after you have already gotten your other permanent teeth, so it is very likely that your mouth won’t have enough space. As a result, they often need to be removed to preserve the alignment of your teeth and the health of your smile. If that’s the case for you, then we will make the entire extraction process as painless and seamless as possible. Get in touch with our Ellicott City dental team today to learn more, or read on!
Why Choose My Ellicott City Dentist for Wisdom Tooth Extractions?
- Friendly and Accommodating Dentists and Team
- Treatments That Prioritize Patient Comfort
- Advanced Technology for Safe, Efficient Care
What are Wisdom Teeth?
Wisdom teeth are the third set of molars. Although they served an important purpose for our ancestors who had completely different diets and lifestyles, they now often just create problems. So, if you’re experiencing chronic jaw pain or any other abnormal symptoms, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us to see if you should have your wisdom teeth removed.
Why Do Wisdom Teeth Need to Be Removed?
Wisdom teeth might become stuck (or impacted) under the gum tissue, leading to oral pain, crowding, and infections. Fortunately, our experts at Your Ellicott City Dentist offer wisdom tooth extractions for teeth that are causing problems. We can also detect and extract them before they can do any damage. Get in touch with us if you have concerns about your wisdom teeth coming in sometime in the near future; we can help you determine whether they’ll cause problems and take the necessary steps to plan the removal (if necessary) as early as possible.
What to Expect from the Wisdom Teeth Procedure
Once it has been determined that your wisdom teeth need to be removed, we’ll start planning the procedure. You can normally expect the following steps to be taken:
- A local anesthetic will be applied so that you don’t experience any discomfort during the procedure.
- Once the procedure itself begins, we’ll start removing the gum and bone tissue that prevents us from accessing the tooth in question.
- Once the tooth is exposed, it can be removed. (It might have to be divided into smaller pieces.)
- The final step is to apply stitches so that the area can heal.
Recovering from Wisdom Teeth Extraction
A few days of recovery will be required. Minor swelling and bleeding are normal during this time. The good news is that there are several things you can do to heal smoothly, comfortably, and quickly, including:
- Keeping your head elevated, including when you’re sleeping
- Eating only soft foods, like applesauce and pudding
- Not drinking alcohol, smoking, or using a straw
- Brushing carefully around the extraction site
- Drinking plenty of water to stay hydrated
Within a week, you should be able to eat normally again and return to your usual routine. If you have questions for us at any point, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our emergency dentist!
Understanding the Cost of Wisdom Tooth Extractions
If our team determines that you need a wisdom tooth extraction, we will take the time to put together a reliable estimate of what the cost will look like. After all, it’s important to make sure that the dental care you need can fit into your budget! We’ll be more than happy to answer any financial questions at your initial consultation, but until then, here’s a closer look at the cost of wisdom tooth extractions.
Factors That Can Impact the Cost of Wisdom Tooth Extractions
One reason why the cost of a wisdom tooth extraction isn’t set in stone is that the procedure isn’t exactly the same for every patient. Most of the time, all four wisdom teeth are removed at once, but some patients choose to only have one or two taken out. On top of that, some individuals don’t even have four wisdom teeth to begin with. The number of teeth involved will significantly influence the overall cost of the procedure.
Another factor that needs to be taken into account is whether your wisdom teeth are impacted. If they are, they will need to be removed surgically. Meanwhile, wisdom teeth that have fully erupted tend to be easier (and therefore cheaper) to extract.
Finally, there’s the question of whether you want to be sedated for your wisdom tooth extraction. Our team is proud to offer nitrous oxide sedation, which can help keep you in a relaxed state throughout your treatment. However, having sedation administered will add to the overall cost of the procedure.
Does Dental Insurance Cover Wisdom Tooth Extractions?
If you have a dental insurance plan, it will likely help pay for a wisdom tooth extraction. That said, it’s always best to double-check your benefits in order to make sure that you have a firm grasp on what procedures are and are not covered.
Many insurance companies are willing to pay between 50% and 80% of the cost of a wisdom tooth extraction. The specifics of your case (such as whether your wisdom teeth are still trapped under the gums) can affect the coverage available. If you’re not sure that you fully understand your dental insurance benefits, our team will be happy to look over your plan with you, and we can file any claims for you so that you don’t have to worry about the paperwork.
How to Make Wisdom Tooth Extractions Affordable
We’re in-network with a variety of dental insurance plans and are prepared to help you get the most out of your benefits. On top of that, we invite uninsured patients to sign up for our in-house Membership Club, which can help cover both basic treatments and advanced procedures. We’re also happy to work with CareCredit so that our patients can pay for important dental care in a series of monthly payments instead of all at once. Feel free to talk to our team to learn more about the many financial options available at our office.
Wisdom Tooth Extractions FAQs
Why Do We Have Wisdom Teeth?
Today, wisdom teeth tend to cause more problems than they’re worth and are no longer necessary for our survival, so they’re considered a vestigial feature. They’re extracted more often than not, leading many curious patients to wonder why we grow them in the first place.
It’s believed the reason we have these teeth is because our ancient ancestors developed them out of necessity. They likely subsisted on a rough diet of roots, leaves, nuts, seeds, and raw meat. Furthermore, they lacked regular dental care like we have today. There’s a good chance that wisdom teeth evolved to replace any molars that were missing or damaged in their youths.
How Many Wisdom Teeth Do People Have?
Most people have four wisdom teeth; one for each quadrant of their mouth (upper and lower right and left sides). However, some resources report that anywhere between 5% and 37% of people are missing one or more of these molars. Some people are born with just a few, and others are lucky enough to never grow any!
The reason for this is unknown, but many experts believe that genetics plays a significant factor. If either of your parents are missing any of their wisdom teeth, there’s a greater chance that you also won’t develop all four of them.
Does Removing Wisdom Teeth Hurt?
Many people avoid dental procedures they think might hurt, and wisdom tooth extractions are no exception. Fortunately, our providers in Ellicott City know that you might be feeling anxious, and will do everything they can to help you feel comfortable and calm throughout your appointment.
For instance, our team will apply a local anesthetic to numb the area around your wisdom teeth before starting your procedure. We can also administer nitrous oxide sedation (laughing gas) to avoid potential discomfort without rendering you completely unconscious. This medication typically causes a lightweight, euphoric, tingling sensation that can give you a bad case of the giggles.
What’s the Best Age to Extract Wisdom Teeth?
So many patients have their wisdom teeth extracted during their teen years that it’s viewed almost as a rite of passage for youths entering their adult years. This may be partly because human jawbones continue to firm with age, meaning that your teeth are more firmly rooted and harder to remove.
Some adults experiencing wisdom tooth pain worry that they’ve waited too long to have their teeth removed, but thankfully, that’s not the case. Although it might be easier to extract them when you’re younger, it’s potentially possible at any stage in life. However, it might take you longer to recover once you’re older because your cells don’t rejuvenate as quickly to heal.
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