Wisdom teeth only need to be extracted if they are negatively affecting your oral health or if they pose the risk of doing so due to impaction. Some individuals’ wisdom teeth erupt in perfect alignment and will never need to be extracted as long as they are kept clean through daily brushing and flossing. Some people are fortunate enough to not develop their wisdom teeth, at all. To find out whether your wisdom will need to be extracted, visit a dentist or oral surgeon for an evaluation.

Oral cancer is a very serious form of cancer as it can quickly spread and become life-threatening if it is not diagnosed and treated in time. Visit a dentist for regular dental check-ups to ensure that your mouth is screened on a regular basis. Common signs of mouth cancer include:

• Wounds and ulcers in the mouth that do not heal
• Patches of white and/or calloused tissue
• Unexplained numb spots on the lips, tongue, etc.
• Unusual lumps in the mouth or neck
• Persistent swollen glands in the neck

You may choose to be sedated for your oral surgery after discussing your medical history, personal preferences and treatment needs with the oral surgeon. Some surgeries are very brief and local anaesthesia to numb the area is sufficient to keep you comfortable. If you struggle with dental anxiety, however, then sedation may be advisable even during minor surgeries.

Recovery after a tooth extraction varies from patient to patient and depends mainly on which tooth was extracted. It usually takes about three days to recover after a simple tooth extraction. A simple extraction is one in which the tooth is non-surgically extracted from the socket. Extracting wisdom teeth, however, can sometimes require oral surgery, so it may take up to two weeks to recover from surgical wisdom tooth extraction.

Not everyone requires bone grafting (bone augmentation) before getting a dental implant. If you have weak bone tissue in your jaw or sinuses, then you may need to have it reinforced with a bone grafting surgery several months before having an implant placed. During a dental implant consultation, your implant dentist will let you know whether bone grafting is necessary.