For the most part, wisdom teeth extractions are pretty straight forward; if it’s impacted and pushing against other teeth, it’s got to come out. Surgeries for wisdom teeth involve anesthesia, removal, and recovery. However, for the commonality of wisdom teeth extractions, there are actually quite a few different types of impacted wisdom teeth.

According to iDentalHub, there are roughly five categories of impaction:

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Are cavities contagious? Well, we know that whether you’re going to have healthy teeth or you’re going to make plenty of visits to the dentist is somewhat based on genetics. But today a new report has emerged that seems to prove that cavity-causing bacteria can be passed from one person to the next, much like the common cold or flu.

Here’s what the New York Times printed on Monday: Read the rest of this entry »

You’re sitting in the chair at the dentist’s office and he announces, “You need a dental bone graft.” Your first thoughts are, “Why do I need one? What’s involved? And what will it do for me?”

There are many types of bone grafts but the reason your Arizona oral sugeon has recommended one is to help reverse the degradation of bone loss due to trauma, poorly fitting dentures and/or periodontal disease. In some cases, dental bone grafting is used to permanently augment and enhance the aesthetics for an individual who has lost a tooth in a visible area – such as a missing front tooth.

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Now that you’ve all seen at least one ‘funny wisdom teeth video,’ you’re probably wondering what kind of anesthesia could these people possibly be on that makes them act so happy and funny. In reality, when you go to see the oral surgeon to get those wisdom teeth removed, you might be under one of two different anesthesias.

Local Anesthesia for Wisdom Teeth Removal

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If you’ve never had to take your child to get their wisdom teeth pulled, or perhaps had a friend video you when the oral surgeon extracted your wisdom teeth, you may not know how entertaining the aftermath can truly be. As oral surgeons, this is something that we see quite often after wisdom teeth extractions simply because of the anesthesia that patients are under. We found this video today on CBSNews.com and wanted to share it with our patients.

Getting those pesky wisdom teeth removed, a topic that we talk about quite often here at our Gilbert oral surgeon offices, can sometimes require bone grafting. Sure, it sounds scary and painful, but in reality this process is quite common with wisdom teeth extractions and most surgeons could do it blindfold….not that they would.

When is a Bone Graft Needed?

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Wisdom teeth extractions are no fun. But what if you knew that those little pains in the back of your mouth could one day save your life? Would you be more inclined to stop putting of your wisdom tooth surgery if you knew that stem cells could be extracted from those teeth? It’s an interesting concept, and one that might not be getting enough publicity.

Stem cells are amazing little miracles of life that are able to reprogram themselves to become just about any other cell in the body as part of the body’s highly sophisticated, and still not perfectly understood, repair system. Within your body, if cells become damaged or deleted, these stem cells will automatically go into overdrive and create more of the cells that you need to repair scrapes and cuts on your skin to repair damaged organs.

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We’ve always known that dental hygeiene is important for our children, but just how important is it. Many parents hold to the fact that those tiny little baby teeth are just going to come out one day anyways, so why worry about keeping them clean? The fact of the matter is that enforcing proper dental habits early promotes a healthy lifestyle from day one, where your kids will know the importance of brushing and flossing. And from a medical perspective, neglecting those baby teeth can lead to serious consequences.

Reuters news service reports that 11 percent of American 2-year-olds and 44 percent of 5-year-olds have cavities. The majority of these kids come from low-income families who can’t afford regular dental care, according to ParentDish.com
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Have you ever heard the story about the person who woke up happy and singing because he or she had to go to the dentist that day? Neither have we. It must be an urban legend, right?

Dentophobia, dental anxiety or fear of the dentist is something that many individuals suffer from and it’s not an easy hurdle to get over. This fear causes rational adults to put off dental visits until they’re in so much pain it’s unavoidable.   

In addition to daily flossing and brushing, dental visits are crucial to overall good dental health. Regular dental check-ups and cleanings are the best way to prevent cavities and other dental health issues and can prevent small problems from turning into larger issues.

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