Keeping the Pain-Free Smile on Your Face

Wisdom tooth extraction seems to be a right of passage among teens and young adults. Everyone has a wisdom tooth story to tell, and many of those stories involve visiting a new dental office. While the Winegar Dental team always wants our patients to receive the best possible care and recognize that this often means working with specialists, we also know that it’s important to keep patients comfortable and relaxed to ensure the best outcomes from any dental procedure. For this reason, our team has completed advanced training in order to provide a number of safe, effective dentistry services, including the removal of one or more wisdom teeth, right here in the dental office you already trust with your everyday oral health. If you’re interested in learning more about wisdom tooth extraction or any other dentistry service we provide, give our dental office in Harker Heights a call.

What are Wisdom Teeth?

Wisdom teeth are actually a third set of molars that erupt during the late teens and early twenties. They earned their name from the Victorians who considered this stage of a person’s life to be the age of wisdom. They are actually an evolutionary hangover from our ancient ancestors whose difficult to chew diets and lack of oral hygiene often lead to extensive tooth loss at young ages. Today, our diets and improved oral hygiene practices have made these teeth nonessential.

Why are Third Molars Removed?

Because wisdom teeth are typically not necessary for your oral health, they can be extracted without any negative impact to the overall form and function of your smile. Some of the reasons why we might recommend a patient have their wisdom teeth removed include:

• Impaction – when wisdom teeth are unable to fully erupt from the gum line or they erupt at incorrect angels, they can adversely affect the whole smile.
• Crowding – because most people do not lose teeth before their early twenties, this means the third molars are just not necessary and there is often not enough space to accommodate them. Crowding can lead to changes in the appearance and function of your smile as well difficulty with oral hygiene.
• Misalignment – impacted teeth can develop below the gums pushing against surrounding teeth, and when they’re able to erupt, the crowding can still shift teeth out of alignment. If you’ve already gone through lengthy and costly orthodontic treatment, removing wisdom teeth is essential to maintain these results.

How are Wisdom Teeth Extracted?

When wisdom teeth are able to fully erupt from the gum line, we may be able to simply pull them, using clasping tools to break the tooth loose from supportive structures. However, most wisdom tooth removal does require some element of surgery. This may be as small as an incision in the gums to reveal greater amounts of dental structure, or it can mean more advanced surgical intervention. Before we begin the process, we will explain what you can expect throughout your procedure.

What Happens After Wisdom Tooth Removal?

Following your wisdom tooth removal, a trusted friend or family member should be on hand to drive you home and monitor you during recovery. You will need to keep gauze over the sockets to absorb blood flow, usually for the first two days after treatment. Exchange your gauze pads as often as you need to as they become saturated. You will likely notice some swelling and inflammation in the cheeks and jawline. To help with this, as well as reducing pain and slowing blood flow, we recommend using ice packs at 20 minute intervals (20 on and 20 off) for the first 48 hours. Staying healthy and well rested is essential to making a full recovery. Make sure you’re getting plenty of restful sleep at night and avoiding strenuous activities during your recovery. Take any prescription or over the counter medications as directed. If you notice increasing pain after the first few days, continued bleeding, or you’re still in pain after a week or longer, it may be time to give us a call.  

Renew Your Smile and Your Confidence with Dentures

With tooth loss, most people are chiefly concerned about the way they look. After all, a smile has a lot to do with your appearance. People notice that gaping hole between remaining teeth. This simple awareness can make you feel very self-conscious and even embarrassed.

But there’s more to tooth loss than what meets the eye. It can also impact your general health and well being. For instance, some people with missing teeth may not be able to eat foods that are difficult to chew, such as raw fruits and vegetables. Thus, tooth replacement will help you feel more confident when you smile, and it will improve your nutritional intake and general health, too.

For centuries, dentists have relied on dentures as the solution for tooth loss. Luckily, the dentures of today are much better than those of yesteryear. Whether you need a partial or full denture in Harker Heights, Dr. Winegar will work with you to create a prosthesis that gives you an attractive and natural looking smile. Moreover, your dentures will fit so comfortably, you might not even realize that you’re wearing them!

What is a Partial Denture?

A removable partial denture could be a great solution if you are missing one or more teeth. Today, partials are mostly made from plastics that are so flexible and comfortable that they are barely detectable.

Partial dentures in Harker Heights are comprised of false teeth attached to a metal framework. This framework has brackets that secure to healthy teeth near the gap in your smile. If missing teeth are not consecutive, then the partial will be made to fit in between remaining teeth just like a puzzle piece. A partial must be removed so you can brush and clean your teeth, gums and the prosthesis, too.

What are Full Dentures?

With advanced technology and materials, full dentures today are painstakingly made to look just like natural teeth. The design of false teeth is carefully based on models and measurements of your own mouth, so they fit comfortably and securely. The teeth are typically made of fine dental porcelain or various types of resin. These are attached to a base that is tinted to look like the natural color of your gums. And while natural suction can hold your dentures in place, you may feel more confident using a denture adhesive, too.

For the most comfortable feeling, talk to your dentist in Harker Heights about dental implants to secure either a partial or full denture. 

Traditional and Same-Day Dental Crowns Can Repair Your Smile

At Winegar Dental in Harker Heights, we can create a new dental crown while you wait. With the E4D Dentist System, the wait time will only be a couple of hours—not a couple of weeks as is the case with dental crowns that are fabricated in a dental lab.

This system allows Dr. Winegar and his team to capture digital images, design the new crown and build the crown right here in our office.

The result is a restored tooth that looks, feels and performs no differently than one of your natural teeth.

Components of the E4D Dentist System

The E4D Dentist System is an advanced technology from D4D Technologies. Using laser-scanning technology, the system first captures an optical impression of your tooth. There’s no need to sit with a mouthful of molding material. With E4D, an extremely accurate impression is created in just a matter of seconds. Then, E4D’s 3D CAD (computer aided design) technology designs your new dental crown based on the optical impression. Finally, the design is transferred to the milling unit that uses CAM (computer aided manufacturing) to carve your restoration from a solid block of dental porcelain or composite resin.

Receiving a Dental Crown in Harker Heights

Once Dr. Winegar has examined your tooth and determined that you need a crown, you are only one appointment away from having a restored tooth. A local anesthetic is administered to the tooth and the surrounding soft tissue. Then, E4D’s laser scanner captures the details of your tooth. This includes the size, shape, color and unique biting surface of the tooth, so the finished crown that we put in place looks completely natural and feels just as comfortable.

While the E4D computer software designs your new crown, Dr. Winegar will need to remove a small amount of your tooth’s natural structure in order to make room for the restoration. If there is any decay present, this will be removed as well. Your reshaped tooth ensures that the crown lies evenly between the adjacent teeth and does not feel too high or out of place when you bite down.

Finally, the completed restoration design is forwarded to the milling unit where the crown is fabricated in only 15 to 20 minutes. Once the dental crown is ready, Dr. Winegar can use hand instruments for the finishing touches that perfect the completed crown. She will check the fit and then adhesively bond the same day crown over your prepared tooth.

To care for your new crown, brush and floss just as you do your natural teeth. Pay close attention to the area where the edge of the crown meets your gum. Oral plaque can easily accumulate here.