Aspen Dental: Advancements in Surgical Techniques with Wisdom Teeth Removal in Terre Haute

Wisdom teeth emerge in a patient’s late teens to early twenties. Many people’s jaws cannot accommodate wisdom teeth, making wisdom teeth removal almost a rite of passage into adulthood. The procedure has garnered a reputation for discomfort and long recovery times. However, the following surgical innovations and post-operative care advancements have made wisdom teeth removal easier and more comfortable for dentists and patients alike.

Surgical innovations

Several surgical innovations have helped dental professionals perform more precise procedures that reduce surgical wounds, minimize the chance of complications, and improve patient comfort:

1. Sedation and anesthesia options

Dentists have various sedation and anesthesia options to maximize patient comfort and facilitate recovery after the procedure. Local anesthesia numbers the area, potentially limiting the discomfort to a rough pushing sensation without much pain. Besides local anesthesia, a patient can ask their dentist in Terre Haute for a few sedation choices:

• Nitrous oxide: Colloquially called “laughing gas,” this colorless gas relieves anxiety and helps the patient relax. The dentist fixes a mask over the patient’s face and adjusts the gas to comfortable levels.
• Oral sedatives: These are oral medications, usually in pill form, that relax the patient before the procedure. They may also come in liquid form. Some patients may fall into a light sleep from oral sedatives during the procedure, but the dentist can lightly nudge the patient if communication is needed.
• Intravenous (IV) sedation: This delivers carefully managed levels of medication to the patient’s bloodstream. The dentist continually monitors heart rate, blood pressure, and oxygen and can adjust or reverse the IV medication as needed. Patients often fall asleep with this form of sedation and may have little to no memory of the procedure afterward.

2. Dental lasers

Dental lasers offer high levels of precision in many dental treatments, including wisdom teeth management, by removing human error. Lasers may be used for many parts of a wisdom tooth extraction procedure:

• Exposure of impacted teeth: Lasers may be used to carefully cut through gum tissue to expose impacted teeth. This makes extraction easier and can reduce wounding of the gums, facilitating a faster recovery.
• Bone removal: In rarer cases where some jawbone must be removed, the dentist can use a hard tissue laser to remove the bone with less trauma than the traditional drilling approach.
• Comfort: Lasers may cause less discomfort and swelling than traditional methods, improving the patient experience.
• Disinfection: Lasers sterilize and cauterize wounds, killing bacteria and sealing the wound to reduce the chance of infection.
• Faster healing: The cauterization seals nerve endings and lymphatics while the wounds are smaller. This can shorten healing times and make post-op care easier.

Some more severe wisdom tooth impaction cases may still necessitate traditional techniques, but lasers may still play a role.

3. Advanced imaging

Advanced imaging technologies give dentists a more comprehensive, 3D view of the wisdom teeth and all surrounding structures. This gives the dentist a far greater level of detail to work with. They can more easily plan the procedure to minimize invasiveness, reduce risks of complications, and promote faster and better post-op healing.

4. Other minimally invasive techniques

Dental providers use modern techniques that reduce a procedure’s invasiveness to enhance patient comfort and preserve as much dental tissue as possible. This combines some of the innovations and technologies discussed earlier with specialized surgical instruments that help make smaller, more precise incisions and extract the wisdom teeth with minimal damage.

Post-operative innovations

After the procedure, one must wait for the wounds to heal before regular function is restored. Some of the surgical innovations have helped here by reducing the amount of damage. However, post-operative innovations can help manage post-operative pain and discomfort while facilitating faster healing and protecting against potential complications:

1. Dissolvable stitches

In the past, patients would have to visit the dentist after extraction to have stitches removed. This could create additional inconvenience and a risk of infection after the stitches were removed.

Today, however, dentists now have access to dissolvable stitches. These disappear independently within a week or two without dental intervention. This helps the patient avoid an additional dental visit and reduces the risk of infection.

2. Personalized pain management

Previously, dental providers may have prescribed generic pain medications to manage post-op pain while healing. Today, oral surgeons and pharmacists may collaborate to create a custom pain management medication regimen that reduces pain and swelling while accounting for any medication allergies or sensitivities the patient may have. As a result, the dental provider can help the patient manage the pain without as many side effects that impact daily life.

3. Biocompatible materials

Biocompatible materials are materials that can interact with biological tissue in a positive way or that don’t cause adverse reactions. For wisdom teeth, dental providers may now be able to use biocompatible sponges made of collagen, a protein the human body makes naturally to heal wounds.

These sponges help surgical wounds coagulate to accelerate healing and protect the wound from external debris. They can also reduce the patient’s risk of developing a painful dry socket, which occurs when the blood clot that typically develops in the wound dissolves or is shaken loose.

The bottom line

Surgical innovations such as new sedation options, dental lasers, advanced imaging, and minimally invasive techniques have made the extraction procedure more comfortable and convenient than ever. Plus, post-operative advancements like dissolvable stitches, personalized pain management, and biocompatible materials facilitate faster, healthier healing and fewer follow-up visits.

The price of getting a wisdom tooth extracted may not be too much more than a tooth filling cost, even with some of these cutting-edge technologies available. With a dental insurance plan, getting wisdom teeth removed has never been easier or more affordable.

 

Contact Information:
Name: Sonakshi Murze
Email: [email protected]
Job Title: Manager