Wisdom Teeth

By the age of 18, the average adult has 32 teeth, 16 teeth on the top and 16 teeth on the bottom. Wisdom teeth are the last teeth to erupt within the mouth. When they align properly, the gum tissue is healthy, and the teeth are easy to clean, wisdom teeth may not need to be removed. Unfortunately, this does not generally happen. The extraction of wisdom teeth is necessary when they are prevented from properly erupting within the mouth. These poorly positioned impacted teeth can cause many problems including pain, swelling, stiffness, and infection. They may also cause other teeth to move and/or result in the development of tumors or cysts around the impacted wisdom teeth, resulting in the destruction of the jawbone and healthy teeth. Removal of the offending impacted teeth in a timely manner usually minimizes the potential for these problems to occur. Early removal is recommended to avoid such problems and to decrease the potential surgical risk involved with the procedure.

In most cases, the removal of wisdom teeth is performed under intravenous sedation or general anesthesia to maximize the comfort of the procedure. Our services are provided in an environment of optimum safety that utilizes modern monitoring equipment and staff who are experienced in anesthesia techniques.