Your wisdom teeth are supposed to be a sign that you’ve attained wisdom, but unfortunately, most people simply don’t have enough room in their mouth for a third set of molars. Parvaz Farnad Mizrahi, DDS, MPH, is a board-certified oral and maxillofacial surgeon who provides safe and effective wisdom teeth removal for patients whose third molars are affecting their oral health. To learn more, schedule a visit to her state-of-the-art clinics in Beverly Hills, California, and the Miracle Mile neighborhood of Los Angeles. Book your visit by calling the office or using the online scheduling tool.
Wisdom teeth were vital for our early ancestors, whose diets and lack of cooking technology necessitated more grinding surfaces to chew and properly digest their food. But now that we can cook our food to soften it and use utensils to cut it up into more digestible pieces, we no longer need our third set of molars. As we’ve evolved, our jaws have gotten smaller, leaving less room for our wisdom teeth. That lack of space leads to many patients’ wisdom teeth becoming impacted, or stuck in the gums or jawbone. Impacted wisdom teeth can lead to a number of oral health complications, including:
The longer your impacted wisdom teeth remain in your smile, the more likely they are to cause problems. Dr. Mizrahi is a strong proponent of early treatment to reduce risk, maintain oral health, and increase the speed of recovery.
Despite the fact that it’s a common surgery, wisdom tooth extraction is nonetheless complex and requires extensive skills and training to perform well. Dr. Mizrahi is a leading oral and maxillofacial surgeon who has a wealth of experience in performing safe and effective wisdom tooth extractions. Dr. Mizrahi first administers anesthesia. Depending on how complex she anticipates your surgery will be, she might recommend any one or more of the following:
Once you’re sedated and/or anesthetized, Dr. Mizrahi makes a careful incision in your gum, exposing the underlying bone and your wisdom tooth. If you have any bone covering your tooth, she removes that, as well as any connective tissues keeping the tooth in place. In some cases, she might break up your tooth into smaller pieces before removing it, or she might just remove it intact. After she’s removed the tooth, she cleans the surgery site, closes it up with stitches, and applies gauze to help stop the bleeding and support the formation of a blood clot.
The recovery for wisdom tooth extraction varies widely depending on the complexity of the surgery. Dr. Mizrahi gives you specific guidelines and advice to follow based on your unique needs, but in general, you can expect some temporary pain and swelling after your surgery. Dr. Mizrahi prescribes pain medication to help alleviate your discomfort and recommends icing your face to reduce swelling. As you heal, you’ll need to avoid using straws, drinking alcohol, rinsing your mouth vigorously, and brushing the teeth near your extraction site for a while.
Dr. Mizrahi evaluates her patients on a case-by-case basis and does her best to ensure that their implant process is safe and effective.
