Getting your wisdom teeth removed? Consider advantages of using IV sedation for your surgery

The removal of wisdom teeth, otherwise known as third-molar removal surgery, is a widely performed surgery that removes impacted third-molar teeth. In the U.S alone, about 5 million people undergo the surgery each year[1]. Typically, patients fall in the range of 18 to 25 years of age, which is the normal time range at which wisdom teeth pierce through the gum line.

Why would you get wisdom teeth extracted?

Wisdom teeth are the last teeth to erupt in the mouth-that is once a person transitions into adulthood-giving these their colloquial name of wisdom teeth.

A great majority of wisdom teeth are impacted, that is to say that such tooth is unable to pierce through the gums for lack of space or because it is pushing against neighboring teeth (the second molars). According to the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial surgeons (AAOMS), 90% of people have at least one impacted wisdom tooth.

Wisdom teeth that are developing improperly can result in a variety of future oral problems such as infection and swelling of the gum around the wisdom tooth, damage to the roots of the second molars and gum and bone disease amongst other problems[2].

In order to properly determine whether a wisdom tooth needs to be extracted, a consultation by en expert, such as an Oral and Maxillofacial surgeon, should take place.

The Usage of IV Sedation as an anesthesia choice for wisdom teeth removal. Why is it important?

When undergoing oral surgery it is important to have various Anesthesia choices to choose from. In conjunction with your oral surgeon, such a choice will be based on the complexity level of the procedure and the patient anxiety level. Learn more on Anesthesia choices.

Dr. Antoine Chehade and Dr. Marc Shenouda- Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons from Seaforth Oral Surgery– explain three of many benefits of using IV sedation for this procedure

• Decreases stress and anxiety related to the surgery: The patient goes into a light sleep with IV sedation that will completely relax the patient and release all anxiety.
• The procedure is made safer: Dr. Chehade explains that some patients may have involuntary movements, thus sedation in these situations can actually make the procedure safer- eliminating such involuntary movements.
• Pressure sensation is removed: The patient will not feel the pressure in the jaw of extracting teeth during the surgery, explains Dr. Shenouda. “The usage of IV sedation makes the operation a comfortable one for patients”

Undergoing mouth surgery can be a nerve-racking process for many. Nonetheless, under the appropriate guidance of an Oral Surgeon as to the best treatment to follow, paired with the right anesthesia choice, having oral surgery can become a stress-free procedure.

[1] Jay W. Friedman, “The Prophylactic Extraction of Third Molars: A Public Health Hazard,” American Journal of Public Health 97, no. 9 (September 2007): 1554–59, doi:10.2105/AJPH.2006.100271.

[2] Theodorus (Dirk) G Mettes et al., “Surgical Removal versus Retention for the Management of Asymptomatic Impacted Wisdom Teeth,” in Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, ed. The Cochrane Collaboration (Chichester, UK: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, 2012), http://doi.wiley.com/10.1002/14651858.CD003879.pub3.