Wisdom teeth are the last teeth to come in, usually between the ages of 17 and 25. They’re often impacted, which means they don’t fit into your mouth like regular teeth. They can grow sideways or even curl back toward your jaw, which can cause problems with other teeth as they come in.

Because of all these issues, many people choose to have their wisdom teeth removed. If you’re considering it too, here are 12 things to know before undergoing wisdom teeth removal surgery:

• How Many Wisdom Teeth Do You Have?

The first thing to do is determine how many wisdom teeth you actually have. Some people only have one or two, while others may have four, five or even six wisdom teeth that need to be removed. While you may think this sounds like a good thing, it can actually cause problems because of where these extra teeth are located and how they affect your bite.

• When Should I Get My Wisdom Teeth Removed?

If you have impacted third molars (wisdom teeth) and they’re causing problems, then it’s time to get them removed. If your teeth aren’t causing any distress yet, but you know they will soon (because they’re crowding other teeth), then it’s also time for surgery. Your dentist in Summerfield NC can give you an idea of when it would be best to remove them based on their position within your mouth and how much room they have to grow.

• Your Overall Health

Wisdom tooth pain relief can be complicated by other health conditions. For example, if you have heart disease or diabetes, removing your wisdom teeth could increase the risk of complications during surgery or recovery time afterwards. If you have an existing medical condition, talk to your dentist about how it might affect your wisdom tooth pain removal procedure.

• Age

Wisdom teeth often come in after the age of 18 years old, although they can come in earlier. If your wisdom teeth are still impacted and haven’t erupted by the time you’re 25 or 26 years old, then it’s recommended that you have them removed as soon as possible so that they don’t cause any problems later on in life.

• Pain

Wisdom teeth removal surgery will likely cause some pain afterward, as well as swelling and bruising at the surgical site for several days following the procedure. You may also experience dry socket (a complication caused by inflammation of the tissues surrounding a tooth), which causes persistent pain and discharge from the surgical site that lasts for several weeks following the procedure.

• Blood Loss During Surgery

Wisdom tooth pain removal extraction is more prone to causing blood loss than other kinds of oral surgery because there is usually more tissue involved in the procedure than in other types of oral surgery procedures, such as root canals or crowns. While this is not an issue for most patients, it can be problematic for those who bleed easily or have a low platelet count due to pre-existing medical conditions like hemophilia or thrombocytopenia (low platelets).

• Infection

Any surgical wound can become infected with bacteria entering through cuts or open tissue during the operation. Infection may result in swelling, pain and abscesses that need to be drained by your dentist or doctor. Damage to other tissues or nerves near the extraction site can also occur during surgery due to bleeding or inadequate anesthesia during the procedure.

• It’s Not a One-Time Procedure

Wisdom teeth removal surgery is often performed using general anesthesia, which means that you’ll be unconscious during the procedure. However, this doesn’t mean that it’s over after one visit to the dentist! You may need follow-up appointments with your dentist or oral surgeon to remove any remaining tissue and ensure that everything has healed properly.

• Time & Side Effects

You’ll need time to heal after having your wisdom tooth pain removed. Some people heal quickly with little discomfort, while others take longer and experience more pain. The amount of time you need for recovery depends on how complicated the procedure was and how much tissue was removed during it. Some people experience swelling around their gums for up to two weeks after surgery or even longer, depending on how much tissue was removed during surgery or if there were any complications during the procedure (such as bleeding).

• Damage To Other Teeth

If wisdom teeth do not have enough room to come out normally, they may cause damage to other teeth in your mouth as they grow upward or sideways toward them. This damage can lead to tooth decay or loss of those teeth.

• The Condition Of Your Jaw

Your jaw can only accommodate a certain number of teeth and if more than four wisdom teeth are growing inside your mouth, then chances are that they will have nowhere to go but sideways or backwards into the soft tissue around your palate or cheek bones which can cause a lot of discomfort and pain in addition to other complications like infection etc. Thus if you have an overcrowded mouth, then it is best to remove the extra teeth before they cause any damage or infection in your mouth and gums.

• Cost

Wisdom tooth pain relief surgeries can be expensive and sometimes require follow-up visits with the oral surgeon or dentist. You should expect to pay between $500-$1000 per tooth, which is often not covered by insurance plans.

Despite the fact that wisdom teeth removal surgery has become more and more common over the years, it’s still an invasive surgical procedure. That said, in many cases, it can help improve a patient’s health. If you’re considering undergoing wisdom tooth pain removal surgery–or if you have already decided to undergo this procedure–these above-mentioned factors you should keep in mind.