During the consultation, our dentist will take a full mouth panoramic X-ray to determine if your impacted wisdom teeth can be extracted (wisdom tooth extraction) or surgical procedure is required (wisdom tooth surgery).
In some complex cases where the root of the wisdom tooth is near the nerve area, a 3D CBCT scan may be required, and these can all be done conveniently by a professional dentist in our clinic!
If your wisdom teeth is growing out straight and not blocked by any bone or gums, our dentist may suggest that it could be possible to remove by a standard extraction procedure. This is most common for your upper wisdom teeth.
During this procedure, local anaesthesia will be given to numb up the area so that you will not experience any pain.
A surgical procedure by surgeons may be required for impacted wisdom teeth that are not growing out straight or being blocked from erupting.
Wisdom teeth surgery is not as scary as it sounds. It is just a minor surgery that involves the lifting of overlying gums to expose the tooth hidden beneath. The impacted wisdom tooth may then be sectioned into smaller pieces to be removed.
After the surgery, the gums will be stitched back to its original position. With local anaesthesia, you will not feel any pain during the procedure.
After the extraction or surgery, you may experience minor bleeding at the site.
This is entirely normal and can be easily stopped by biting tight onto a piece of sterile gauze for about half an hour. For surgery cases, painkillers, antibiotics, and an antiseptic mouthwash are usually prescribed to help you cope better over the next few days. An iced pack will be given to you immediately after the surgery to minimize facial swelling over the next few days.
You will be given up to 5 days of medical leave to rest well after the surgery. A follow-up appointment will be arranged for you to come back seven days later for review and remove stitches.
Things to avoid after removal of wisdom teeth
Be it wisdom teeth extraction or wisdom tooth surgery, here are some things to avoid immediately after the wisdom tooth removal to avoid problems and aid in faster recovery:
Related: What to eat after wisdom tooth surgery
Blood clot will form in the tooth socket, where the wisdom tooth was removed, to speed up the healing process. These activities above may cause the newly formed blood clot to dislodge, exposing the bone and tissues beneath, causing pain and discomfort.
Wisdom tooth is the third molar right at the back of your mouth and is usually the last to erupt in the mouth around the age of 17 to 25 (early adulthood).
The most common problem with lower wisdom teeth is that they get impacted and do not grow out straight leading to mouth pain. Being partially hidden beneath the gum tissue in most cases, they are hard to brush, and a good place for food to be trapped in your molars, which is a breeding ground for bacteria, and eventually costs you problems like discomfort or worst, tooth decay.
This may eventually result in the gums getting infected and swollen, or other dental problems like tooth decay of the second molar tooth next to it due to the inability to maintain good oral hygiene at that region.
Comfortable cozy experience with our friendly and experienced team!
After-care services to ensure your speedy recovery
Reasonable price which are fully Medisave claimable
X-ray and 3D CBCT system for better treatment planning
Specialist available for complex wisdom teeth cases
FAQ
When you start to feel mouth pain or discomfort, it is a must for you to remove the impacted wisdom tooth.
However, you do not always have to wait for this stage before you remove your wisdom tooth. During a routine check-up, once we notice that your wisdom teeth is not growing out well or hard to maintain the cleanliness, it is advisable to remove the impacted wisdom teeth before any complications occur.
Some common signs that you should consider removing your impacted wisdom teeth soon is when:
During your initial wisdom tooth consultation with our doctor, a full mouth x-ray (OPG) will be taken to examine the condition and position of your wisdom tooth.
All the findings will be explained to you so that you can understand your condition better too. Feel free to discuss any of your concerns with our doctor too and let them know if you have any medical condition or allergies.
If surgery is required for your wisdom tooth removal, a longer appointment will be arranged with you. Since local anesthesia will be given to you to numb up your mouth, it is advisable for you to have a proper meal prior to your wisdom tooth surgery appointment.
Also, since you will be given 3-5 days of MC after wisdom tooth surgery, do plan your schedule prior to the wisdom tooth surgery so that you can rest well without feeling anxious or stressed about work or school!
Medisave can only be used for surgical wisdom tooth procedures.
Hence, Yes, it can be used for wisdom tooth surgery if you are Singaporean and PR.
However, Medisave cannot be used for a normal wisdom tooth extraction (non surgical).
Swelling for the initial few days after the wisdom teeth surgery is normal. It can be easily managed by following our post-op advice.
Dry socket can occur when those newly formed blood clot gets dislodged from the wisdom tooth extraction site. This may expose the wound and causes poor healing, resulting in pain and an unpleasant taste in your mouth. Speak to your dentist if your pain worsens the day after the wisdom teeth surgery!
Nerve injury may occur during the wisdom tooth surgery, especially for cases where the affected wisdom tooth is located deep and near the nerve canal. Theses nerves are in charge of supplying sensation to your tongue and lips, hence injuring them may cause numbness around those regions. Fortunately, the risk of nerve injury is relatively low, and in most cases, even if it does occur, the effects are temporary.
Wisdom tooth extraction (non surgical) usually takes only around 20 minutes to complete.
For wisdom tooth surgery, it generally takes around 30 – 60 minutes.
For normal wisdom tooth extraction, you will be given 1-2 days of MC.
For wisdom tooth surgery, you will be given 5-7 days of MC.
During the wisdom teeth procedure, local anesthesia will be given to numb up the area so that you will not experience any pain.
After the wisdom tooth extraction procedure, painkillers, antibiotics, and an antiseptic mouthwash are usually prescribed to help you cope better over the next few days. An ice pack will be given to you immediately after wisdom teeth surgery cases to minimize facial swelling over the next few days.
For normal wisdom tooth extraction cost (non surgical), it will be between $150-$300.
For wisdom tooth surgery, it will be between $850 – $2150, depending on the complexity of the case.
Nonetheless, our charges will be fully claimable under Medisave. The exact quote can be determined after the full mouth x-ray is taken.
Note: Government Goods and Services Tax (GST) applies.
Bite on a piece of gauze
Immediately after the wisdom tooth removal, you will be biting onto a piece of sterile gauze. The purpose of biting on a gauze is to encourage blood clots to form and prevent dry socket. Bite gently but firmly on the gauze for 30-45mins before removing it. If there is still active bleeding, replace it with a new piece of gauze and bite for another 30-45mins. It is normal if there is still a small amount of blood oozing out, so don’t worry!
Use of Ice Pack
Swelling after wisdom tooth surgery is normal and may reach its peak 2-3 days after the surgery, However, it can be minimized by immediate use of ice pack after the surgery. Our dental clinic will provide you with the ice pack after your surgery so you can start using it even before leaving our clinic. Do remember that the ice pack should not be left on continuously, but instead it should be applied intermittently on and off.
Self-care
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