Wisdom Tooth Extractions – San Antonio, TX
Safe &
Gentle
Wisdom Tooth
Care
If you are between the ages of 18 and 25, you may start to notice that your wisdom teeth are erupting in the back of your mouth. However, if you also notice chronic pain in this area, it may be because your mouth is not large enough to accommodate these new teeth. If this is the case, you’ll want to schedule to have them removed at New Image Dentistry. Here, our dentists can ensure a safe and effective treatment to remove your wisdom teeth and get you out of discomfort. To learn more about wisdom tooth extractions in San Antonio, TX, keep reading or call our dental office!
Why Choose New Image Dentistry for Wisdom Tooth Extractions?
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a Comfortable Process
What are Wisdom Teeth?
Wisdom teeth are widely regarded as evolutionary relics that may have served a purpose to humans in the past, but now they often cause more problems than they solve. Also known as “third molars”, wisdom teeth were useful for previous human populations that hunted and gathered their food on a daily basis to survive. Since food would often not be available and oral care was the least of their concerns, wisdom teeth would fill the space in their mouths once their other molars fell out due to poor oral health and chewing on sticks and other root plants. Today, even though good oral care and a healthy diet are much easier to maintain, the wisdom teeth continue to erupt.
When Do Wisdom Teeth Need to Be Removed?
Once wisdom teeth start to interfere with your existing teeth or they become trapped underneath gum tissue, they pose a big problem for your oral health. For example, wisdom teeth can easily cause crowding and misalignment of your smile because the mouth is not large enough to accommodate them. Alternatively, they can fail to erupt because they are trapped underneath existing gum tissue or teeth, creating an environment for an infection to develop. Furthermore, if you start to notice discomfort in the back of your mouth, it’s likely that they will need to be removed.
Do All Wisdom Teeth Need to Be Removed?
Not necessarily. Sometimes, a person’s mouth can be large enough to accommodate all four wisdom teeth, assuming they all appear. However, this is a very rare occurrence, which means more than likely you’ll need to have at least one wisdom tooth removed. Keep in mind that the longer you wait to have them removed, the more difficult it will be to do so. This is why many dentists pay very close attention to their development starting at a young age.
Does Insurance Cover Wisdom Tooth Extractions?
It depends on the dental plan you use, but dental insurance may cover up to half of a wisdom tooth removal if it’s deemed medically necessary. Make sure to pay close attention to the annual cap your dental insurance is willing to pay, as your treatment may exceed it. If you need help paying for treatment, we recommend that you look into our dental office’s third-party financing options like CareCredit, which make it easier to pay for treatments in monthly installments.
What to Expect from the Procedure
The procedure is relatively straightforward, and our dentists will walk you through the process in great detail before beginning treatment. To start, we’ll numb the area surrounding the tooth as well as the tooth itself, make an incision in the gums to expose the tooth, then use an elevator to gently remove it from the periodontal ligament. Next, we’ll use a pair of dental forceps to grasp and pull the tooth as gently as possible. Since you’ll be treated with local anesthetic prior to the procedure, you should feel little to no sensation inside your mouth during the extraction. Finally, we’ll go over your aftercare instructions to ensure a healthy and speedy recovery.