Since wisdom teeth erupt in the end, the majority of the problems associated with them involve crowding of teeth in the mouth. The symptoms related to this may vary and can be mild to severe. The following are the common signs and symptoms that you can have during the eruption of your wisdom teeth:

• Swelling: Your jaw, gums, and cheeks may swell due to eruption of wisdom teeth.
• Bad taste: The taste of your mouth can become bad even without eating anything that could cause a bad after taste. This may even lead to having bad breath.
• Pain: The back portion of the gums and the jaw may become painful.
• Difficulty in the opening of the jaw: In more severe cases, the swelling can cause difficulty in fully opening the jaw and also cause pain while chewing.
• Infection 

Removal of wisdom teeth is a common surgical procedure, with approximately 70 percent of the people needing it because their oral cavities cannot accommodate greater than 28 teeth. But, you need a careful assessment of your mouth by a dentist/oral surgeon to find out if your wisdom teeth need to be removed.  Some of the common problems associated with wisdom teeth include:

• Impacted: In this case, the wisdom teeth remain trapped underneath your bone and gum and don’t erupt.
• Positioning: When your teeth grow sideways, they may affect the alignment of the bite producing symptoms of swelling and pain.
• Partial eruption: This occurs when there is not enough space for the wisdom teeth to emerge. This increases your risk of getting a gum infection referred to as pericoronitis, which can lead to a worsening facial infection if not treated.  In addition pericoronitis may produce muscle spasms of the jaw and swelling of lymph nodes situated under the chin.

To find out the exact location of the wisdom teeth, your oral surgeon will evaluate the X-rays of the mouth and conduct a complete oral examination. They will accurately assess whether removal is required or not and the correct approach for removal based on this.

The procedure is done under either local or general anesthesia. Your oral surgeon may also use laughing gas (oxygen/nitrous oxide analgesia). After receiving one of the anesthesias, the surgeon will:

• Make an appropriate incision around the wisdom teeth or in the gum line
• Remove the teeth
• Possibly Place PRP at the extraction sites (to eliminate any chance of dry socket)
• Place sutures at the incision site using dissolvable sutures

After getting your wisdom teeth pulled, you’re likely to experience pain and swelling.  There may be some bleeding  while your gums heals.  You should not consume solid foods, alcohol, coffee, soda or hot beverages in the first few days after your procedure. 

Before leaving from the office, your surgeon will provide you instructions and tips on how to take care of yourself after wisdom teeth removal and also the following:

• Prescription for pain medications
• Prescription for anti-inflammatory medications
• Prescription for antibiotics
• Post-op instructions