How to Prepare For Impacted Tooth Surgery

An impacted tooth is a common dental issue. According to one study from the Hong Kong Medical Journal, nearly 30% of patients experience at least one impacted tooth.

Thus, impacted tooth surgery is a relatively common procedure your dentist or oral surgeon might recommend. As with any oral surgery procedure, if you’re going to undergo impacted tooth surgery, you need to know how to prepare. The following guide will help.

What is an Impacted Tooth?

A dentist may refer to a tooth as “impacted” when it can’t erupt fully. Some impacted teeth may only partially erupt, while others don’t erupt at all. Generally, teeth become impacted when there is lack of space for them to properly erupt.

What Does Impacted Tooth Surgery Involve?

Impacted tooth surgery involves removal of the tooth. Because an impacted tooth has not properly erupted, this isn’t as simple as merely pulling the tooth.

A patient will usually be asleep during impacted tooth surgery. The oral surgeon will provide the patient with medication via an IV drip, ensuring they remain unconscious throughout the procedure. Typically, impacted tooth surgery takes about an hour and a half.

An oral surgeon may also give a patient a local anesthetic. Doing so guards against a patient experiencing significant discomfort when they wake up.

Is Impacted Tooth Surgery Necessary?

You might wonder whether you need to have an impacted tooth removed. Is there any harm in simply ignoring it?

While this may be an understandable question, if a dentist or oral surgeon recommends impacted tooth surgery, following their advice and scheduling the procedure is important for the following reasons:

• Impacted teeth can cause pain
• Cleaning impacted teeth can be difficult, leaving them more vulnerable to decay than other teeth (which can increase a patient’s chances of developing gum disease as well)
• The presence of impacted teeth can result in additional alignment problems

How Can Patients Prepare for Impacted Tooth Surgery?

The oral surgeon will provide you with specific instructions for preparing for impacted tooth surgery. Be sure to follow these instructions carefully, and ask the surgeon any questions you may have if you need clarification on certain topics.

General steps patients may take to prepare for impacted tooth surgery include the following:

• Avoiding eating or drinking anything the day of the surgery (or even the night or day before the procedure, if your dentist or oral surgeon recommends it)
• Arranging to have someone drive you home from your appointment
• Discussing any medications and drugs you may take with the oral surgeon (including prescription drugs, over the counter medications, and recreational drugs)
• Not smoking for at least 12 hours before the procedure
• Setting aside comfortable clothing to wear during surgery
• Purchasing soft foods to eat after surgery
• Requesting time off from school or work to recover from the procedure

Again, these are merely general suggestions. Your oral surgeon may recommend additional steps.

Just remember, impacted tooth surgery is a common and routine procedure. By preparing for it correctly, you’ll maximize the odds of having a safe and comfortable experience both during and after treatment.

Learn More About Impacted Tooth Surgery in Rockville, MD

At Dental Implant Center of Rockville, impacted tooth removal is one of many services we offer. For more information about how we can help you, contact us online or call us at 301-294-8700 to request an appointment.