It’s summer time! If your teen is like most kids their age, they are excited to have a break from school work, hang out with friends, have adventures, and take it easy for a couple of months. While you certainly should give them some freedom to do these things, this time of year is actually the perfect opportunity to take care of an often necessary dental procedure—wisdom teeth extractions/removal. In this post, you’ll learn more about this procedure, why it’s needed, and why now is the right time to have it performed on your teen.
What are wisdom teeth?
Wisdom teeth, also called the third molars, are the last set of permanent teeth to erupt, typically between the ages of 16 and 25. If your child is in this group, your dentist in Lincoln can keep a close eye on their X-rays, watching for the wisdom teeth and checking to see if they will cause trouble. That’s why it’s important to bring your teen to see the dentist every six months for checkups and cleanings. Otherwise, you could run into problems with their wisdom teeth down the road.
Why is wisdom teeth removal necessary?
Historically, humans needed this extra set of teeth because early tooth loss was much more common. However, with dental hygiene being as effective as it is nowadays, many mouths do not have the space to fit wisdom teeth. In some cases, the teeth force the other teeth to move in order to accommodate the space, pushing the teeth out of alignment. As you can imagine, this can be uncomfortable to say the least! In other cases, the wisdom teeth grow in at angle, trapping bacteria and possibly leading to infections. As a result, dentists often recommend extraction of the wisdom teeth.
Why is summer a good time to undergo wisdom tooth extraction?
Other than the surgery itself, which can require a considerable amount of time, the patient also needs at least a few days afterward to recover. At minimum, your teen should refrain from strenuous activity for 48 hours. You might as well take advantage of their lack of school responsibilities and obligations and use this downtime to have this procedure completed. Plus, with so many cool summer refreshments available, except those that require a straw, your teen will have no problem sticking with a soft food diet for a few days after the extraction.
In addition to the fun things your teen has planned for the summer break, it is a smart idea to include wisdom teeth removal if they need it. After all, they’ll be spending a considerable amount of time resting anyway—it might as well be productive in protecting their smile!
About the Practice
Williamsburg Dental has six locations around the Lincoln area and has eight experienced, highly trained dentists on staff. We are proud to help patients of all ages, including teens, and can perform wisdom teeth extractions while keeping them completely comfortable throughout the procedure. If your teen needs to have their wisdom teeth removed or if you have questions about the procedure, you can contact one of our Williamsburg Dental locations by clicking here.