Duration

The duration of a wisdom tooth removal can only be estimated in advance, but cannot be predicted in detail. It depends, among other things, on where the teeth are located, how badly they have already been destroyed, how old the patient is, how much experience the dentist has, whether the mandibular nerve is nearby or what other diseases the patient may have. Under ideal conditions and with an experienced dentist, the removal of a tooth that has already completely erupted (i.e. is normally in the row of teeth) takes only about 1-2 minutes.

However, if the wisdom teeth are only partially visible or have even grown transversely in the jaw, surgical removal is necessary. In this case the gum above the tooth must be cut open with a scalpel and folded to the side to make the tooth visible. Depending on the position, it may also be necessary to remove the bone around the tooth, which significantly extends the treatment time. In this case the removal can take about 5-15 minutes per tooth. In many cases, the gums are then sutured so that the removal of all four wisdom teeth can be expected to take from half an hour to one hour.

Symptoms accompanying wisdom tooth extraction

In the course of wisdom tooth removal, the following complaints are very likely to occur after the tooth is extracted: Since the extraction of the wisdom tooth leaves a complicated wound, the above mentioned complaints are among the normal accompanying symptoms. However, if there is a fever, heavy bleeding or, within the scope of the swelling, swallowing or breathing difficulties, a visit to the dental emergency service is indicated.

Pain
Swelling
Bruises and bruises
Restricted mouth opening
Post-bleeding

There is usually no pain during the wisdom tooth removal, because the dentist paralyzes the region beforehand with a local anesthetic.

The anaesthetic takes away the pain, but not the pressure caused by the extraction. However, it can happen that the effect of the painkiller disappears very quickly. This often occurs when there is severe inflammation of the wound area around the wisdom tooth.

In this case, a follow-up injection should be given.For patients in whom pain cannot be eliminated at all due to possible illnesses, there are several options, e.g. sedation of the patient. This means either a twilight sleep or general anesthesia, so that the patient sleeps and does not notice anything of the treatment. After the treatment, the wounds can cause pain, but painkillers such as ibuprophene or paracetamol can help.

After the wisdom teeth are removed, swelling of the cheeks is normal. This swelling is caused on the one hand by the removal of the teeth, but also by the duration of the treatment. The shorter the duration of treatment, the less swelling will occur.

However, if the tooth is very crooked, the scalpel is used or even bone has to be removed, i.e. it is a complicated extraction, larger swellings occur more often. Often these are accompanied by bruising, which means that the cheek becomes blue. Another reason for a severe swelling is the weather.

The warmer the weather, the more swelling develops after surgical removal of wisdom teeth. Therefore the following always applies: good cooling reduces the risk of a thick cheek. As a rule, however, the swelling is harmless as long as it is soft when pressure is applied. However, if the swelling becomes hard, the cheek red or if after a few days there is a feeling that the mouth no longer opens properly, the dentist should be consulted again. Then an abscess may have formed, which must be removed with antibiotics and further treatment, otherwise there may be serious consequences.