Extraction of wisdom teeth

Wisdom teeth, also known as the third molars, are the teeth at the back of your mouth. They are usually the last adult teeth to erupt (between 17 and 21 years of age).

Wisdom teeth are often removed due to one or more of the following reasons:

• Lack of space in the back of the mouth to allow straight eruption.
• Orthodontic reasons.
• Persistent and/or recurrent pain and/or infection.
• Development of tooth decay, bone cyst.
• Possible damage to the adjacent teeth (decay or gum disease).
• Prophylactic (or preventative) removal (difficulty cleaning due to their position and/or orientation).

Description of the procedure

The procedure is performed under local anaesthetic in our surgical suite under optimal aseptic conditions.

Sedation (optional):

If you are nervous, you may be given a sedative medicine to help control any anxiety.

Blood sampling and PRF production:

On the day of the operation, a blood sample is generally taken from the crease of the elbow to produce the PRF by recovering your blood’s white blood cells and platelets (cells involved in immune defenses and wound healing).

The procedure:

The gum may be reflected from the jaw bone surface and teeth are carefully removed. Occasionally the surgeon may need to remove some bone surrounding the wisdom tooth. The extraction sites are then cleansed and an absorbable collagen or PRF material is directly applied to accelerate the healing process and decrease postoperative bleeding and infection. Absorbable sutures will dissolve in 2 weeks.

What is PRF?

Platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) is a mixture of white blood cells, fibrin, platelets, stem cells and growth factors. PRF is made by drawing a small amount of blood and spinning it in a centrifuge.

There are no blood additives or chemicals. Only extracts from the patient’s own blood drawn just before the surgical procedure.

The PRF gets applied directly to areas that require healing, such as cavitation left behind from an extracted tooth. It possesses amazing natural healing properties.

PRF not only speeds the healing process, but it decreases postoperative inflammation/pain and infections and avoids having dry sockets when the clot does not form naturally or properly.

Coronectomy and leaving root fragments behind :

Occasionally if the roots are very deep, curled or wrapped around the lower jaw nerves, it may be decided to perform a “Coronectomy”.

Which means to remove most of the tooth, leaving behind some of the root intentionally to avoid any nerve injury.

If a fragment of the root is left behind, the majority of the time it will heal very well with no complication. The root will remain deep or may ‘float’ up to the top of the gum, where it is more easily and safely removed at a later stage (between a few months – years).

Also learn about : Exposure of impacted teeth