People who have grown wisdom teeth know that this sudden “visit” of teeth is often not a surprise, but pain, swelling and even repeated inflammation. When the doctor recommends the removal of wisdom teeth, many people will have a question: how long will it take to remove wisdom teeth? Is it going to take a few minutes, or is it going to take a long time? In fact, the time of removal of wisdom teeth is not fixed, it is affected by a variety of factors, and then we will dismantle it in detail.
First, understanding wisdom teeth: special “third molar”
Wisdom teeth, medically known as the third molar, are the last teeth to erupt in the human mouth, usually starting to grow around the age of 18-25. Wisdom teeth were very important to our ancestors in ancient times, when human food was rough and hard, and wisdom teeth helped us chew. But as humans evolved, the lower jaw became smaller and the size of the teeth changed relatively slowly, which led to wisdom teeth often not having enough space to erupt properly, causing problems.
In terms of location, wisdom teeth are located in the innermost part of the mouth, at the end of the upper and lower jaws. A wisdom tooth that erupts normally and has a good occlusal relationship can play a chewing function without removal. However, in reality, most people have abnormal growth of wisdom teeth, such as impacted wisdom teeth (part or all of them are embedded in the alveolar bone and cannot erupt normally), forward impacted wisdom teeth (the crown of the tooth is tilted towards the second molar), and horizontally impacted wisdom teeth (the long axis of the tooth is horizontal with the long axis of the second molar). These abnormal growth of wisdom teeth not only can not play a normal chewing role, but also easily lead to wisdom teeth pericoronitis, dental decay, dental congestion and other problems, often need to be removed to solve.
Second, the conventional process of removing wisdom teeth
Before understanding the time it takes to remove wisdom teeth, let’s familiarize ourselves with the usual procedure for removing wisdom teeth, which helps to understand how long each procedure may take.
Preoperative examination: Before the formal extraction, the doctor will perform a thorough examination. The first is oral examination, to check the growth of wisdom teeth, whether there is inflammation of the surrounding gums; X-ray films (such as panoramic films, CT, etc.) are then required to clearly understand the position, shape, number of roots, and relationship with peripheral nerves and blood vessels of wisdom teeth. This step takes about 10-30 minutes, depending on the number and complexity of the items being examined. If acute inflammation of the gums is found during the exam, the doctor will first administer anti-inflammatory treatment and then schedule the tooth extraction after the inflammation subsides, which can add an additional few days to a week.
Preparation for anesthesia: After the examination is correct, enter the anesthesia procedure. At present, the common anesthesia methods for wisdom tooth extraction are local infiltration anesthesia or block anesthesia. The doctor will use a small needle to inject anesthetic drugs into the gum or near the nerve around the wisdom tooth, causing a temporary loss of pain in the area where the tooth is extracted. The anesthesia process is generally about 3-5 minutes, but the anesthetic effect takes a few minutes to take effect, usually 5-10 minutes after the injection, the patient will feel the tooth extraction site began to numb, at this time the doctor will begin the tooth extraction operation.
Extraction operation: This is the core link of the entire wisdom tooth extraction process, but also the longest part. According to the complexity of wisdom teeth, the extraction time varies greatly. For fully erupting wisdom teeth with normal crown shape and straight roots, the doctor can remove them directly using dental forceps and tongs, a process that may only take 10-20 minutes. However, if it is an impacted wisdom tooth, especially if the ambush is deep, the root is curved, and the tooth is closely related to the adjacent tooth or nerve, the difficulty of tooth extraction will be significantly increased. The doctor may need to cut through the gums, remove part of the alveolar bone, and cut the wisdom teeth into smaller pieces before removing them separately, a process that can take 30 minutes to an hour or more.
Postoperative treatment: After the tooth extraction, the doctor will place a cotton ball or gauze on the tooth extraction wound and let the patient bite tightly for pressure and hemostasis, which generally takes 30-45 minutes. After that, the doctor will tell the patient postoperative precautions, such as do not brush teeth within 24 hours, avoid strenuous exercise, diet to liquid or semi-liquid diet, and may prescribe anti-inflammatory drugs, painkillers, etc., according to the situation. This session should take about 10-15 minutes.
Third, the key factors affecting the removal time of wisdom teeth
The growth of wisdom teeth: As mentioned above, the growth shape of wisdom teeth is the primary factor affecting the extraction time. For wisdom teeth with complete eruption, fully exposed crown, short and straight root, extraction is relatively easy and short. Impacted wisdom teeth, especially horizontally impacted and inverted impacted wisdom teeth, need complex operations to remove resistance due to their special position and shape, and the operation time will be significantly prolonged. For example, horizontally impacted wisdom teeth often require incision of the gum, grinding of part of the alveolar bone, tooth separation and other operations, each step requires fine operation, and the time is naturally increased.
Individual patient differences: Patients’ local oral conditions and general health can also have an impact on tooth extraction time. If the patient’s alveolar bone is rigid, it takes more effort and time to separate the tooth from the alveolar bone during tooth extraction. For patients with osteoporosis, although the tooth is relatively easy to remove, it may increase the risk of bleeding, and doctors need to be more cautious during the procedure, which may also affect the overall time. In addition, the age of the patient, whether the patient has a systemic disease (such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, etc.) is also critical. For patients with high blood pressure, it is necessary to have stable blood pressure control before tooth extraction, and to closely monitor blood pressure changes during tooth extraction; Patients with diabetes have a lower wound healing ability, a higher risk of infection after surgery, and doctors are more careful when pulling teeth, all of which can lead to a longer extraction time.
Skill level and experience of doctors: The operational proficiency and skill level of different doctors vary. Experienced and skilled doctors have more efficient treatment methods for the removal of various complex wisdom teeth, and can accurately judge the surgical steps, reduce unnecessary operations, and thus shorten the extraction time. Doctors with less experience may need more time to think and try when facing complex situations, and the operation time will increase accordingly.
Four, different types of wisdom tooth extraction time reference
Normal eruption of wisdom teeth: the removal of this type of wisdom teeth is relatively simple, from the anesthetic effect to the tooth removal, generally in about 10-30 minutes. Because of its normal growth position, doctors can operate directly with conventional tooth extraction instruments, and the process is relatively smooth.
Partially erupted wisdom teeth: Partially erupted wisdom teeth, especially if the crown is partially covered by the gum, need to be cut through the gum to expose the crown before being removed. The whole process includes incision, separation, extraction and other steps, and the time is usually 20-40 minutes. If there is inflammation in the gums, it also needs to be treated locally first, which will add some extra time.
Impacted wisdom teeth:
High impacted wisdom teeth: Although the wisdom teeth have not fully erupted, they are relatively high in position and most of the crown has exposed the alveolar bone. In this case, the extraction is moderately difficult and the operation time is about 30-50 minutes. The doctor may need to loosen the tooth with a brace, then remove it with a dental clamp, and sometimes perform a proper tooth parting procedure.
Intermediate impacted wisdom tooth: The crown of the wisdom tooth is partially embedded in the alveolar bone, and it can be removed only after the gum is cut and part of the alveolar bone is removed. The operation is complicated and usually takes 40 to 60 minutes or more. Doctors should be careful to protect the surrounding nerves and blood vessels during the procedure to avoid damage.
Low impacted wisdom teeth: Low impacted wisdom teeth are completely embedded in the alveolar bone and are closely related to neighboring teeth and surrounding important structures, making it extremely difficult to remove them. Surgery requires extensive incision, bone removal, tooth separation and other operations, the time may be more than 1 hour, and some complex cases even need to be removed in stages.
Five, postoperative recovery time can not be ignored
The time to remove wisdom teeth not only includes the length of the surgical process, but also the postoperative recovery time. Generally speaking, after the removal of wisdom teeth, the wound will form a blood clot within 15-30 minutes, playing a preliminary role in hemostasis. For the next 24 hours, the wound will experience mild pain and swelling, which is normal.
One to three days after surgery, pain and swelling may peak, and some patients may experience swallowing pain and limited mouth opening. At this time, you need to take anti-inflammatory drugs and painkillers according to the doctor’s instructions, and pay attention to rest. 3 to 7 days after surgery, the pain and swelling will gradually decrease and the wound will begin to heal initially. About 7-10 days, if the wound heals well, the doctor will remove the sutures (if there are any).
It usually takes 3-6 months for the wound to heal completely and the alveolar bone to return to normal. During the recovery period, patients should strictly observe postoperative precautions, maintain oral hygiene, and avoid wound infection to promote the smooth healing of the wound.
Conclusion
In summary, the time of wisdom tooth removal varies from person to person and is affected by a variety of factors. A simple wisdom tooth extraction may be completed in half an hour, while a complex impacted wisdom tooth extraction may take an hour or more. Before deciding to remove wisdom teeth, patients should fully understand the relevant information, fully communicate with the doctor, and choose regular medical institutions and experienced doctors for surgery to ensure that the extraction process is safe and smooth, and that the postoperative recovery can be better.
The above details the time related content of wisdom tooth removal. If you have any questions about wisdom tooth extraction, such as post-operative care details, feel free to let me know.
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