Impacted Wisdom Teeth
Impacted Wisdom Teeth
What are Wisdom Teeth?
Wisdom teeth are the last adult teeth to develop and are also known as third molars.
Most adults develop four wisdom teeth with two if the top jaw (maxilla) and two in the lower jaw (mandible).
Not all adults develop four wisdom teeth with some adults developing none, one, two or three and in rare cases even more than four.
Wisdom teeth usually attempt to erupt into the mouth between the ages of 17 and 25.
At your initial consultation, Dr John Webster will:
- discuss the reason you have been referred for wisdom teeth removal
- review your medical history and
- consider Xray imaging
- explain the risks and benefits of wisdom teeth removal and
- tailor a treatment plan for your individual circumstance
What are Impacted Wisdom Teeth?
Impacted wisdom teeth are those teeth that do not have room to develop normally or fully erupt through the gums.
Nine out of ten people have at least one impacted wisdom tooth. If left untreated, impacted teeth can:
- damage neighbouring teeth
- become infected and
- even transfer bacteria to the bloodstream
Types of Impacted Wisdom Teeth?
Impacted wisdom teeth are categorised a number of ways. How the Wisdom Tooth is positioned is one method of explaining the type of Wisdom Tooth Impaction. Here are four examples.
What are the symptoms of Impacted Wisdom Teeth?
Symptoms vary from person to person and for some there are no symptoms at all. Often impacted teeth are first discovered at a dentist visit via screening jaw x-rays known as an OPG (Orthopantomogram). It is important to know that symptom free does not mean disease free.
Impacted wisdom teeth can cause a variety of problems including tooth decay, cysts and infections. The symptoms can manifest with a combination of the following:
- Jaw pain at rest
- Jaw pain when opening mouth
- Bad breath (halitosis)
- Swollen, tender or bleeding gums
- Unpleasant taste or discharge in the mouth
It is important to undergo a screening OPG x-ray in your late teens to assess the development of your wisdom teeth. This will allow early detection of potential impacted wisdom teeth and allow you to seek review with your Dentist or your Specialist Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon to plan for early removal of the wisdom teeth before problems arise. Your dentist or GP can refer you to Dr Webster.
Research has shown that the majority of wisdom teeth will need to be removed during your lifetime so the decision to remove them is made by balancing the risks of removal versus the benefits of removing the wisdom teeth. It is important to know that impacted wisdom teeth will not develop normally and will not erupt into the mouth in a functional, useful position.
At your initial consultation, Dr John Webster will discuss the options for managing your impacted wisdom teeth, review your medical history and x-rays with you, and then discuss the risks and benefits of wisdom teeth removal before tailoring a treatment plan for your individual circumstance.
How should Impacted Wisdom Teeth be managed?
Impacted wisdom teeth are difficult to care for while inside the gums and surgery is often necessary to remove the problematic teeth to prevent future issues or complications arising.
If the impacted wisdom tooth is detected early then, the ideal time to remove them is usually in the late teenage years before the roots of the wisdom teeth have fully developed into a position where there is increased risk to the inferior dental nerve. This nerve is a purely sensory nerve that detects sensation from the lower teeth and the lower lip/chin skin.
Young people also benefit from faster healing and better nerve recovery so removal in the late teenage years is the lowest risk time for wisdom teeth removal.
What are the risks of Impacted Wisdom Teeth removal?
The risks of wisdom teeth removal are unique to each individual patient and are affected by the age of the patient, the length and development of the wisdom tooth roots, the reason for removal, the location or depth of impaction in bone, the closeness to the inferior dental nerve to the wisdom tooth in the (lower jaw), the closeness of the maxillary sinus to the wisdom tooth in the upper jaw (maxilla) and the previous medical history of the individual.
The risks of impacted wisdom teeth removal are minimised by thorough patient assessment, review of x-ray images (OPG) and in some cases 3D CT imaging, and the use of best practice surgical techniques and equipment. A consultation with a Specialist Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon is highly recommended before impacted wisdom teeth removal to ensure all risk minimisation is achieved.
Who should perform Impacted Wisdom Teeth removal?
The decision of who should perform impacted wisdom teeth removal is ultimately up to each individual patient to decide. The difficulty and risks associated with each individual wisdom tooth should be clear to the patient after the initial consultation. The experience, complication rate and ability to manage complications of the treating Specialist Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon should also be clear to the patient after the initial consultation.
In the majority of cases impacted wisdom teeth removal is advised under the expertise of a Specialist Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon either under local anaesthetic (patient awake) at the Oral Facial & Implant Centre or under general anaesthesia (patient asleep) in a hospital or day surgery setting. This is because a Specialist Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon is dual qualified with a Medical & Surgical Degree and Dental Degree and has performed thousands of wisdom teeth removals during training. As part of completion of Specialist Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery training each surgeon must pass detailed theory exams to be able to identify the risks for each patient and surgical techniques to minimise risk for each individual patient. A Specialist Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon is also trained to manage and care for any complications that do arise as a result of wisdom teeth removal meaning the patient is in the most experienced hands possible from initial consultation through to complete healing.
In some cases wisdom teeth removal can also be safely performed by Dentists under local anaesthetic and Dr John Webster regularly educates and teaches case selection and risk minimisation to Dentists across various platforms. Should you have a complication following wisdom teeth removal by a Dentist, Dr John Webster is available for consultation and emergent care as requested by the treating Dentist, as even the simplest cases of wisdom teeth removal still have low risks of complications.
What are the costs of your Impacted Wisdom Teeth removal?
A patient should consider the cost of impacted wisdom teeth removal like any surgery and consider the cost of the initial procedure quoted and also be made aware of the cost of managing any complications that may arise. Through his extensive training and experience Dr John Webster can help minimise the risk of complications through the use of modern and minimally invasive techniques including scalpel-less and drill-less options if suitable.
Dr John Webster’s surgical fee for each wisdom tooth removal procedure is reasonable and competitive. The surgical fee varies from $350 to $650 per tooth and the cost is correlated to the surgical time anticipated and equipment required. The average surgical fee for surgical removal of four impacted wisdom teeth is approximately $2000.
The diagrams above demonstrate different lower jaw impacted wisdom teeth and highlights that some teeth are close to the surface and are positioned in such a way they will likely be easier to surgically remove. Other wisdom teeth are lying down horizontal along the nerve or crossing the nerve or even facing the wrong direction. All of these cases will require more time to surgically remove bone and divide the tooth into small sections so that the tooth can be safely removed without traumatising the associated inferior dental nerve or adjacent healthy dentition.
Wisdom teeth removal can be completed under local anaesthetic (patient awake) at the Oral Facial & Implant Centre or under general anaesthetic (patient asleep) in a hospital or day surgery setting pending the clinical difficulty of the removal and the individual financial circumstances of the patient.
Should you wish to have treatment under a general anaesthetic there will an additional fee for the hospital/day surgery and a fee for the Specialist Anaesthetist all of which will be discussed at the initial consultation and clearly explained where Medicare and Health Fund rebates may apply.
Please contact one of our friendly reception team
if you require further information on (07) 4580 4733.
Where can my Impacted Wisdom Teeth removal be performed?
Dr John Webster is accredited across multiple health service organisations in Toowoomba, the Darling Downs and Queensland including St Andrew’s Hospital, St Vincent’s Hospital, Toowoomba Surgicentre and Lady Bjelke-Petersen Community Hospitals. Surgical wisdom teeth removal can be performed under local anaesthetic (patient awake) at the Oral Facial & Implant Centre or under general anaesthetic (patient asleep) at any of the hospitals or day surgeries listed above.
What is the patient journey on the day of surgery?
If you are having wisdom teeth removal under a local anaesthetic (patient awake) at our conveniently located practice based within the Specialist suites at St Andrew’s Hospital then we recommend eating something prior to the procedure. You will be able to drive yourself home after the procedure.
If you are having wisdom teeth removal under a general anaesthetic (patient asleep) in a hospital or day surgery, you should not eat or drink for 6 hours prior to surgery. Small sips of water are allowed up to 2 hours prior to surgery.
You will need time prior to the surgery date to arrange completion and return of your hospital admission paperwork. The hospital team will undergo certain patient safety checks prior to entering the theatre for your surgical procedure with the total time from admission through to discharge being approximately 3-4 hours. You will not be permitted to drive home and will require a carer for the first 24 hours after your procedure due to undergoing a general anaesthesia. Should you have questions following your surgical procedure please contact one of our friendly team on (07) 4580 4733.
Are there any post-operative instructions?
At the initial consultation with Dr John Webster you will be provided with a set of pre and post-operative instructions that are evidence-based to optimise healing and minimise discomfort, pain and complications during the recovery phase.
How can you book in for you Impacted Wisdom Teeth removal?
If you would like to know how we can help you further, or to book a no obligation initial consultation please phone 07 4580 4733
or alternatively request an appointment now online.
