Dental Surgery & Wisdom Teeth Extraction in South Calgary, De Winton & Okotoks

Tooth Extractions

You may need to have a tooth removed for various reasons. Excessive tooth decay, infection, overcrowding, and injury can lead to requiring tooth extraction. You may also need to remove a tooth before installing braces to make room for other teeth to shift into place.

The extraction process is a relatively quick procedure performed with local anesthesia or mild sedation. Removing intact teeth is simple, but removing broken teeth, teeth below the gumline’s surface, or impacted teeth may involve a more complex procedure.

Before extracting a tooth, we will take X-rays to ensure we have a good idea of where your teeth’ roots are and if we will need to make any incisions in your gums. Be sure to let us know of any medications you take or any medical conditions you take to ensure the procedure’s safety and efficacy.

Wisdom Teeth

Wisdom teeth are the upper and lower molars in the very back of your jaw. They don’t begin to show until you’re older, typically between the ages of 17 and 21. In some cases, they never protrude at all! However, unlike the name suggests, wisdom teeth don’t make you any smarter. They actually may bring you significant discomfort and cause your teeth to crowd if there isn’t enough room for them in your mouth.

Many people develop impacted wisdom teeth, which means the wisdom teeth don’t have enough room to erupt naturally. Impacted wisdom teeth may:

• Grow at an angle towards the next tooth
• Grow at an angle towards the back of the mouth
• Grow at a right angle to other teeth
• Grow straight up and down but stay trapped within the jawbone

Many dentists recommend removing your wisdom teeth to prevent any future problems, even if they aren’t currently causing any problems. Even if your wisdom teeth aren’t presenting any issues, they could still harbour disease and cause complications. And if they partially erupt, they can be difficult to clean and become more vulnerable to tooth decay and gum disease .