Wisdom Teeth Specialist

Wisdom teeth are the four permanent adult molars that grow in the back corners of your mouth. In many cases, these teeth don’t have the room they need to grow properly, and as a result you might experience persistent pain or develop an infection.

When there isn’t room enough for your wisdom teeth to erupt correctly, Dr. Hardt or Dr. Monterroso may recommend having your wisdom teeth removed. This removal prevents pain, infection, and other dental problems from developing in the future.

Not everyone needs to have their wisdom teeth pulled, but if you begin to have pain, frequent infections, or your surrounding teeth begin to show signs of decay, your wisdom teeth may have to come out.

Dr. Hardt and Dr. Monterroso offer comprehensive dental evaluations to determine if your wisdom teeth aren’t erupting properly. They may recommend an extraction if your wisdom teeth are impacted and growing in abnormal angles or causing you pain or other dental complications.

For your comfort, Dr. Hardt and Dr. Monterroso offer sedation or anesthesia before extracting your wisdom teeth.

Depending on your specific needs. Dr. Hardt or Dr. Monterroso may decide to remove all four of your wisdom teeth during the same procedure. Once the extraction of the teeth is complete, they carefully clean the extraction sites and close the wounds with stitches.

You’ll then have a follow-up visit to allow Dr. Monterroso and Dr. Hardt to remove the stitches and check on the healing progress of your gums.

You may experience bleeding for several days after your surgery. Keeping clean gauze in the surgical area helps prevent infection and control bleeding.

To manage any pain, you may receive prescription pain medication, or you can use over-the-counter pain relievers. Dr. Hardt or Dr. Monterroso might also recommend antibiotics to reduce your risk of infection after surgery.

You may also have some bruising or swelling in your cheeks and around your gums. You can manage this swelling with use of ice packs several times a day.

If pain in the back of your gums is becoming too much, schedule an appointment at Richard Hardt, D.D.S. in Porterville, California, by calling the office or using the online booking feature.