Tooth Wisdom: Complicated Surgery Doesn't Mean More Pain
May 12, 2009

by Nancy Volkers
InteliHealth News Service

INTELIHEALTH - People don't always feel more pain after wisdom tooth surgery if their teeth are hard to remove, a study has found.

Researchers from Campinas State University in São Paulo, Brazil, did the study. They collected information from 128 people about how they felt for 7 days after surgery. They also talked to the surgeons who removed their wisdom teeth.

Most complaints after surgery were related to swelling, bad breath or a bad taste in the mouth. People did report pain. But the pain tapered off during the seven days after the surgery. The surgery mainly affected what people could eat and how much they could open their mouth.

People whose surgeries took longer did not have more pain, swelling or other problems than other patients. People who had more difficult surgeries also did not have these problems more often. Lower wisdom tooth removal had more effects on people's daily lives, compared with upper teeth.

Removing wisdom teeth can be more difficult if they are tilted in the jaw (impacted). Extra roots or roots with unusual shapes also can make surgery more difficult.

About 4 million Americans have wisdom teeth removed every year.

The study appears in the May issue of the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.