Wisdom teeth are the most common extraction there is, and the one people dread most. Done by a surgeon who does this every week, with proper sedation, it is a much smaller event than its reputation suggests.
Wisdom teeth are your third molars — the last four teeth to arrive, usually somewhere between seventeen and twenty-five. For most people the jaw simply doesn't have room left by the time they turn up.
When there isn't room, the tooth becomes impacted: stuck at an angle, partly buried under gum or bone, or pressing into the tooth in front. That causes problems in fairly predictable ways.
Not every wisdom tooth needs removing. If yours have come through straight, you can clean them, and they aren't causing problems, the honest answer is usually to leave them alone and keep an eye on them. We'd rather tell you that than take out four teeth that were doing no harm.
Not during. The area is fully numbed, and most patients here choose to be sedated on top of that — in which case there is nothing to experience at all.
Afterward is real but manageable. Expect soreness and swelling that peak around 48 to 72 hours and then fall away quickly. Most people are comfortable on ibuprofen and paracetamol; we prescribe something stronger for the first couple of nights where the case warrants it.
A lower impacted tooth that has to be sectioned and lifted out of bone is a bigger event than an upper one that lifts straight out. If we're doing all four, that's one recovery rather than four — which is usually the argument for doing them together.
Two options, and this is the part patients care about most:
Either way you'll need someone to drive you home and stay with you. More about sedation and anesthesia.
The appointment is shorter than people expect.
You go home the same day. Add 20 to 30 minutes of recovery time with us if you've been sedated.
No smoking, no vaping and no drinking through a straw for at least a week. All three create suction that pulls the blood clot out of the socket. That's a dry socket, and it is genuinely painful — a deep ache two to four days after surgery that the usual painkillers barely touch.
If that happens, call us. It's easily treated with a medicated dressing, and there's no need to endure it over a weekend.
Call us as well for bleeding that won't settle after twenty minutes of firm pressure, a fever, swelling that is still increasing after day three, or any difficulty opening your mouth or swallowing.
The straightforward cases are people in their late teens and early twenties. At that age the roots aren't fully formed, the bone is more forgiving, and healing is faster — which is why oral surgeons prefer to deal with problem wisdom teeth before twenty-five rather than after.
That said, we remove wisdom teeth from patients in their forties, fifties and beyond when there's a reason to. Older roots are longer and the bone is denser, so it's a slightly bigger procedure, not an impossible one.
You should be assessed if you have:
Lower wisdom tooth roots can sit close to the nerve that supplies feeling to your lip and chin. Upper ones can sit against the floor of the sinus. A flat x-ray shows you a shadow; it cannot tell you how close is close.
A CBCT scan shows the exact relationship in three dimensions. That changes how we take the tooth out — and occasionally it changes the plan entirely, to a technique that deliberately leaves the deepest fragment of root undisturbed rather than risk the nerve for it. Knowing in advance is the difference between a planned decision and a surprise.
We can't put a real number on a webpage, because the honest answer depends on what your exam and 3D scan show. What we can promise is that you'll get a written treatment plan with an exact figure on it before you commit to anything. No surprises added later.
Most patients have some insurance coverage, and we'll check yours and tell you what it will and won't pay. For the balance, we work with three financing companies so you can spread the cost over time — many patients qualify for plans with no interest if paid within the promotional period.
Ask us at your consultation and we'll walk you through the options and the monthly numbers.
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Dr. Alkanan founded Eastern Washington Implants and Periodontics on a simple idea: patients in Eastern Washington deserve board-certified specialists, 3D-planned surgery and sedation done properly, close to home.
Take two minutes and hear it in his own words.
Call any of our three offices, or send us a request and we'll get back to you. Phone hours are Monday to Friday, 7am to 3pm.