Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon Questions Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery

How long does a wisdom tooth extraction take?

I am a 24-year-old male and will be having a wisdom tooth extraction next week. How long does a wisdom tooth extraction take?

4 Answers

There are too many variables to give a simple answer. Conditions such as the orientation of the tooth, whether or not the tooth is partly or fully erupted, if there is any pathology associated with the tooth, etc.
However in the least complicated situation the actual extraction, after numbing, x-rays, etc, the extraction could take only a few minutes. If the tooth is not visible in your mouth and has to be exposed to extract the procedure may take half an hour. If the tooth is laying horizontally the procedure may take longer.
It depends if it is an Upper (maxillary) or Lower (mandibular) wisdom tooth, it also depends on the position of the wisdom tooth. If you go to a Dental Surgeon who does wisdom teeth extractions routinely, it will take 15-30 minutes. A general dentist could take 45-90 minutes.
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That would depend on the severity or difficulty of the extraction and the individual dentist who is removing the tooth.  Every dentist works at his own pace.  Some dentists work faster and some work a little slower.  I would concentrate more on the quality of the work than the actual time that it takes.
It depends on patients and difficulty of extractions. Typically, patient is advised to rest day or two prior to going back to normal daily routine. If it's difficult extraction with/without complicated medical conditions, recovery time can be more than a week. Only your provider can tell you after extractions. Best wishes