When to Schedule Your Teen’s Wisdom Tooth Extraction

When is the best time to schedule wisdom tooth extraction? If your teen is in pain or has swelling in the third molar area, make an appointment as soon as possible.

However, if you’re considering proactive wisdom teeth removal to prevent future tooth and gum problems, you have a little more leeway. Rely on the advice of the professionals at Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery of Utah to help you select a good time for your teen’s procedure.

Consider the Recovery Period

Some teens bounce back quickly after wisdom tooth extraction, but most need two or three days to rest and recover. With complex procedures, recovery can take a week or longer.

Your oral surgeon will let you know ahead of time what to expect in terms of healing, but no one can predict exactly how long it will take your teen to recover. For that reason, scheduling wisdom teeth removal during a school break or in the summer is ideal. If the procedure is performed at one of those times, the recovery period won’t affect school attendance, sports participation or extracurricular activities.

Choose a Convenient Day

Planning tooth extraction around your teen’s school schedule makes sense, but you also need to choose a date that’s convenient for you.

You’ll need to provide transportation to and from the appointment. And regardless of how well your teen handles the procedure, you might want to offer some TLC afterward — or at least stay nearby to help as needed. Thus oral surgeons recommend scheduling wisdom teeth removal on a day when you don’t have work or other obligations.

Don’t Postpone Wisdom Tooth Extraction for Too Long

If your teen’s wisdom teeth are trouble-free, you can schedule extraction whenever the timing makes sense. That said, you shouldn’t put the procedure on the back burner for too long.

The third molars are notorious for causing dental issues, and just because your teen doesn’t have a problem now doesn’t mean their luck will continue. Pain, inflammation or infection could pop up at any point, leading to emergency wisdom teeth removal — and the timing may not be so convenient.

Here at Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery of Utah, we understand that deciding when to schedule wisdom teeth removal can be a challenge. However, school breaks are busy times for us, so planning ahead is wise.

With three Salt Lake City-area offices and two highly skilled, board-certified oral surgeons, making an appointment at Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery of Utah couldn’t be easier. Contact our Cottonwood Heights, South Jordan or Tooele office and schedule your teen’s wisdom tooth extraction today.