The procedure for extraction of wisdom teeth will vary depending on how your wisdom tooth is positioned in your mouth. During your first consult, your dentist would have taken an x-ray to assess the positioning of your wisdom tooth and its proximity to other important structures in the jaw.
Usually, if your wisdom tooth is completely visible and emerged in your mouth, a simple extraction would be done under local anaesthetic. In other cases, the positioning or angle of the wisdom tooth does not easily allow removal with forceps e.g. it is only partially emerged from the gums, it is angled towards the tooth in front or towards the back of your mouth, it is positioned close to the nerve or sinus in your jaw. This would then require a surgical extraction of the wisdom tooth, which is usually done under local anaesthetic as well. The difference between a simple extraction and a surgical extraction is that the latter is a more complex procedure that requires removal of a small part of gum tissue and bone to access the tooth.
Before the procedure, the dentist will administer anaesthetic around the site of extraction to numb part of your mouth. This will prevent you from feeling any pain during the procedure. During the procedure, it is normal to feel pressure and pushing as the dentist performs the extraction. If a surgical extraction if required, you can also expect to hear some noises from the dental drill.
After the procedure, stitches may be placed at the extraction site to help the gums heal. Your dentist will advise you on some instructions on how to care for the wound. It is normal to experience some pain with any extraction after the numbness wears off. Your dentist would prescribe some medication to help manage this.
It is important to care for the extraction site and keep it clean to minimise complications and speed up recovery. Do try to gently brush and clean the area the day after your extraction, if possible, or as soon as it is not too tender to do so. If you are unable to brush the area, gently rinse your mouth with warm salt water or antibacterial mouthwash to keep the area clean.