Wisdom Teeth Extraction: Avoiding Complications

The most common treatment for problems with wisdom teeth is extraction. The procedure is usually relatively quick and easy: the gum over each tooth is opened, the tooth is removed, and the gum is closed again (sometimes with stitches). When I had my wisdom teeth removed, I had dissolving stitches — so I didn’t have to go back the dentist to have them taken out. For many people, the recovery time from a wisdom tooth extraction is just a few days. Your dentist or oral surgeon may have you take painkillers. You’ll need to rest for a few days — … Continue reading

Wisdom Teeth: The Basics

I was lucky — when I had to have my wisdom teeth taken out, I had a very easy time of it. Others (like Families.com’s own Heather Long) didn’t have an easy time at all. Wisdom teeth are the third set of molars in the mouth — a pair on the top and a pair on the bottom. They earned the name “wisdom teeth” because they usually show up when a person is (supposedly) old enough to have earned some wisdom. If your wisdom teeth are healthy and there’s enough room in your mouth for an extra set of molars, … Continue reading

The Dentist & The Horror Story

Thank you to Aimee who invited me to share my personal ‘horror’ story here. I’ve been fortunate over the years to not have experienced any great dental emergencies. There was one when I was 19, I’d cracked a tooth due to a car accident, that tooth was cracked so badly that the dentist was unable to rebuild it and so we decided to just extract it – it would be easier. There was the time that I had gone to the dentist for a simple fix and ended up having 4 root canals done on the same day. My daughter … Continue reading