Southlake’s Best Oral Surgeon Discusses Wisdom Teeth Extraction

The last thing you should have to worry about when the day arrives for your wisdom teeth extraction is how much it will hurt. There are several options available to keep you comfortable and relaxed during surgery. You may even get the giggles. At Texas Oral Surgery Specialists, Dr. Chris Tye takes his patients’ comfort seriously. His expertise, compassion, and over 25 years’ experience has earned him numerous peer nominations as the best oral surgeon in Southlake.

Arrive for Your Surgery Prepared

Before the day of surgery, your oral surgeon will have already examined you, gone over your medical history, performed diagnostics, discussed your treatment plan and sedation options, and answered all your questions.

Learn more about being prepared for your outpatient surgery.

Pre-op instructions usually include:

• Certain medications and herbal supplements should be discontinued. Depending on what you take, you may be asked to stop these anywhere from five days to two weeks before surgery.
• Have an adult with you who can stay during the procedure and drive you home afterward. If you are under 18, this must be a parent or legal guardian.
• Wear loose, comfortable clothes.
• Leave contacts at home or bring a case and solution so you can remove them.
• If receiving IV sedation, do not have anything to eat or drink for eight hours before surgery. (The doctor may want you to take certain medications with a small sip of water.)

If you are a female, be prepared to give a urine sample for a pregnancy test.

Choose Your Sedation Option for Surgery

Dr. Tye, the best oral surgeon in Southlake, offers several sedation options. These options are discussed during your pre-op appointment, but it’s not too late to change your mind. Understand, however, some options may not be available if you ate or drank anything within eight hours.

At Texas Oral Surgery Specialists, our team is committed to keeping you as comfortable and relaxed as possible. We utilize several options and allow you to decide how awake or asleep you want to be. Dr. Tye has the compassion, training, and expertise to administer the anesthesia that is the most effective and safest for you.

Sedation and anesthetic options include:

• Local anesthesia is administered via injection. You may feel a “stick and a burn,” but they are minimally painful. These injections numb all the areas in your mouth that will be affected during surgery.
• Nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas, is an excellent sedation option. It is a sweet-smelling, colorless, inflammable gas. Nitrous is mixed with oxygen and administered through a mask over your nose and inhaled into your lungs. While it doesn’t put you to sleep, it does produce a dreamlike state. It relaxes you, decreases pain, and gives you an overall “feel-good” sensation.
• Intravenous (IV) sedation is also offered. While this does require the insertion of an IV, it also allows us to administer medications that offer higher levels of sedation. Most patients will be in a state of deep relaxation with little awareness of the procedure. The strongest ones will put you to sleep during the procedure—although you will still be able to breathe on your own.

During Wisdom Teeth Extraction

Once adequately sedated, relaxed, and numbed, your surgery will begin. Surgery times vary depending on how many teeth need to be extracted and whether or not they are impacted. Usually, it takes around 45 minutes or less.

If your teeth are impacted, your surgeon may have to cut through or remove some of the gum tissue or bone over the tooth.

If you become uncomfortable during the procedure, we will adjust medications as needed.

After extraction is completed, your surgeon will stitch any wounds that need closing. The stitches should dissolve within a few days. Several gauze pads will be inserted in your mouth to apply pressure to help minimize bleeding. The gauze will also help soak up blood, as swallowing it can cause nausea and vomiting.

After Wisdom Teeth Extraction

Depending on the type of sedation you received, you may need some time to wake up.

If you received an IV, it will be removed.

Your caregiver will be given prescriptions for an antibiotic and pain medication and a list of post-op instructions. These instructions will inform you of what to do for bleeding and swelling and give you guidance regarding diet, hygiene, medications, and activity.

Learn more about post-op care and avoiding complications.

Do you need wisdom tooth removal?

Dr. Chris Tye is board certified and has been nominated numerous times by his peers as the best oral surgeon in the North Texas area, including Southlake, Colleyville, and Grapevine. Contact Texas Oral Surgery Specialists online or call (817) 552-3223 today to schedule your appointment for a consultation.