Wisdom teeth are the four molars in the back of your mouth. Often, wisdom teeth are removed between ages 18-24 years old because the teeth can be unnecessary and usually become impacted. There are many reasons why Dr. Haws may recommend wisdom tooth removal. One of the reasons is that your teeth are impacted, causing swollen lymph nodes in your neck. In this blog post, we will discuss the possibility of swollen lymph nodes caused by impacted wisdom teeth, along with the procedure to remove the wisdom teeth and the recovery time. Keep reading to learn more about wisdom teeth.
One sign that the dentist needs to remove your wisdom teeth is swollen lymph nodes. First, let's discuss what lymph nodes are. Lymph nodes are located around your entire body. They work to clean out bacteria and viruses from your body's system. Patients often think of lymph nodes as found around the head and neck. There are many lymph nodes located around the head and neck, and these are the lymph nodes involved when wisdom teeth are affected. If your lymph nodes become swollen in your neck, this could signify that you have an impacted wisdom tooth that is infected and needs to be removed.
A few symptoms of swollen lymph nodes include tenderness and pain around the lymph node. The swelling, another sign of inflammation and lymph node involvement, can be the size of a pea or a kidney bean. You may also experience systemic symptoms such as a runny nose, fever, and night sweats. Call our office today if you experience any of these symptoms and still have your wisdom teeth. We can help you determine if we should remove your wisdom teeth.
The procedure to remove teeth varies depending on the position of the tooth. If you have impacted wisdom teeth and swollen lymph nodes on your neck, Dr. Haws will perform significant surgery to remove the wisdom teeth. He will lift the gums off the wisdom teeth during the surgery to expose the tooth. Then, he will pull the wisdom tooth out of its socket. Finally, Dr. Haws will suture the area shut.
You should not feel pain during a wisdom tooth extraction. Yet, you may feel slight pressure. Before the extraction begins, Dr. Haws will numb the area around the tooth. He will also give you sedation medication to help you relax during the procedure.
On the day of surgery, relax the rest of the day. Relaxing will give your mouth and your body time to heal. Avoid touching the area and swishing water or mouthwash around in your mouth. Doing so can irritate the suture site and dislodge the clot formed in the gums where the tooth sat. To reduce swelling after the procedure, put ice packs on your cheeks. After surgery, you should only eat soft foods. Avoid drinking out of a straw as this can dislodge the clot. For further aftercare instructions, call our office for more information.
If the lymph nodes around your neck are swollen and tender, this could signify that you have an impacted wisdom tooth. Dr. Haws should remove impacted wisdom teeth at Haws Family Dentistry. Call our office today for more information about impacted wisdom teeth or schedule a consultation about your wisdom teeth.
