There are several ways to consider wisdom teeth extraction. Most frequently, the procedure takes place in the office under local anesthesia and the 4 wisdom teeth are removed during the same session. If there are no particular complications, then the surgical time should not exceed 40 to 60 min (for the 4 teeth).
If a patient so wishes, and there is no medical contraindication, then the surgery can be done in hospitals (or private clinics) under general anesthesia, which maximizes comfort and greatly reduces the stress to the patient.
The hospitalization takes place on the same day (outpatient stay), and you can leave the clinic as soon as you are completely awakened from general anesthesia after your surgeon visits.
These different options will be considered on a case-by-case basis during the pre-operative consultation with Dr. Portier-Marret.
The Day Before the Procedure (Local Anesthesia):
Be sure to start antibiotic treatment (if prescribed) the day before surgery. Be well-rested and think about having a good breakfast in the morning, the next food intake after the surgery may be late in the day.
The Surgical Procedure:
Four local anesthesia injections are performed by the maxillofacial surgeon. After a short waiting period to let the anesthesia act, the wisdom teeth are removed one after the other by making a small incision in the gum. The teeth are cut into several pieces in order to avoid excessive pressures in the jaw and surrounding fragile tissues (eg. the inferior alveolar nerve).
The gum is then sutured and a gauze compress is folded and placed on the surgical sites to help the blood clot form.
It is recommended that after the procedure you return home accompanied, regardless of the chosen option (local or general anesthesia).