Wisdom teeth are your third set of molars in the very back of your mouth. They’re called “wisdom teeth” because they typically come in during your late teens or early adulthood when you’re expected to have attained wisdom.
Wisdom teeth were more essential for early humans, whose diet of uncooked meats and roots, leaves, and nuts necessitated more grinding surfaces to crush up food for digestion. They’re relatively unnecessary now that we can soften food by cooking it and cut and crush it with utensils.
Wisdom tooth extraction is a fairly simple outpatient procedure, so you’ll be able to go home immediately after the surgery.
Dr. Ennabi or your oral surgeon will use a combination of local anesthetics to numb your mouth, sedation anesthesia to relax you, and general anesthesia to put you to sleep during the procedure. Once you’re anesthetized, Dr. Ennabi or your surgeon makes an incision in your gum and removes the tooth, then closes up the incision with stitches.
The whole procedure usually takes around 30-60 minutes. You’ll be able to resume your daily activities for a few days after the surgery, but it might take up to six weeks for your mouth to completely heal. You’ll need to eat soft foods for a while after the surgery, and will have to avoid drinking through a straw. Dr. Ennabi can recommend pain medications that you can take to ease your recovery and will suggest that you use cold compresses to reduce any swelling.
