Wisdom Teeth Removal in Tacoma, WA

Wisdom teeth removal under the right circumstances, can be a low-pain to pain-free experience. Using an expert oral surgeon or dentist in Tacoma, like Dr. Moona Khan DDS, can make all the difference.

Factors Involved in a Tooth Removal Procedure

The tooth removal procedure (aka: tooth extraction or getting a tooth pulled) depends on a lot of factors. Talk them over with your dental office, or oral surgeon. Factors that you’ll potentially want to discuss:

About Wisdom Teeth Removal

Wisdom teeth are also sometimes called third molars. They are the teeth behind all the other teeth in your mouth. Some people don’t have any wisdom teeth. Other people have all four.

Wisdom teeth typically appear later than all the rest of the teeth in your mouth. They can show up in the late teens to early twenties of young adults.

When a tooth lacks the space to come in or if it develops in the wrong place, problems can arise. This common condition is called impaction. Primarily, damage to adjacent teeth and crowding occur. These factors can also contribute to gum disease. 

Do You Need To Get Your Wisdom Teeth Pulled?

It is typically suggested that you get your wisdom teeth removed. In some cases they don’t need to be removed. Talk with your dentist and/or oral surgeon so you can make an educated decision if you should, or should not get a tooth extraction.

Why Do Wisdom Teeth Need To Be Removed?

What frequently happens is that your jaw lacks the space for the two teeth to erupt fully. When a wisdom tooth lacks the necessary space it can develop in the wrong place. This can cause damage to the adjacent teeth. See the image above.

There are cases when the wisdom tooth that cannot come through becomes inflamed under the gums and in the jawbone, causing a sac to develop around the root of the tooth that then fills with liquid. This can cause a cyst or an abscess if it becomes infected. Both of these situations require treatment, or even an emergency procedure, because serious damage to the underlying bone and surrounding teeth and tissues can result if not treated properly.

To potentially prevent this result, wisdom teeth removal could be advised. If this is the case, either we can refer you to an oral surgeon or extract them in our office.

Ask us about more information if you feel that you may need to have your wisdom teeth removed.

Q. What is the recovery time from an extraction?

A. It typically takes gum tissue 3-4 weeks to heal.  Pain should lessen by the second day and in most cases over-the-counter pain relief is enough to relieve any discomfort.  Of course pain and healing time will vary from person to person.  Our office can provide a note for work if needed.

What One Of Our Patients Had To Say

“[…] my daughter was home from college and needed to have her wisdom teeth extracted. Dr. Khan was incredibly considerate, gentle and nurturing prior, setting expectations, during and post care. Thank you for a wonderful and positive dental experience. South Sound Dental [in Tacoma] is a wonderful choice for dental needs.”

Joey M.

Keep in mind that South Sound Dental also does other types of dental treatments other than wisdom teeth removal. Click here to look at all of our dental treatments.

An xray scan of wisdom teeth that are not coming in correctly and that need to be removed.