How Can You Prevent Wound Dehiscence After Wisdom Tooth Removal?
There are many benefits of having your wisdom teeth removed; impacted wisdom teeth can be painful, cause crowding, and lead to plaque buildup. While wisdom tooth removal is a routine surgery, you'll need to follow your dentist's aftercare instructions to avoid complications, like dry socket. One possible complication that you should be aware of is wound dehiscence. Read on to learn why this can happen and how your dentist can prevent/treat the issue.
What is Wound Dehiscence?
A wound dehiscence occurs when an incision that's made during surgery reopens after it's been sutured. Patients with dehiscence might notice hard or sharp areas of bone sticking out of gum tissue which can irritate their tongue. They may also experience bleeding, swelling, and pain. It's important to reach out to your dentist if you are experiencing these types of symptoms since you don't want the surgical site to become infected.
Why Can this Happen?
If your wisdom teeth aren't impacted and you have a relatively straightforward case, you're less likely to suffer from a wound dehiscence. Wisdom teeth that can be removed easily usually heal by secondary intention, which means that the wound is left without sutures and will heal on its own naturally.
Complicated cases, like impacted wisdom teeth, may require sutures since the incisions to the gum are much deeper and the area cannot easily heal on its own. However, if a patient places any strain on the sutures (e.g. performing physical activity, coughing, sucking on a straw, etc.), then the sutures may come undone and lead to wound dehiscence. Wound dehiscence is also more common in patients with health conditions that impact good blood flow, like diabetes. Any health condition that affects blood flow can possibly disrupt the healing of a wound.
How is it Prevented and Fixed?
The same aftercare instructions that are used to prevent dry socket can often be applied to wound dehiscence. This means that your dentist will likely have you follow a soft food diet and avoid sucking motions (smoking, drinking from a straw, etc.). He or she may want you to brush gently and use a prescription antibiotic mouthwash to avoid infections. If you have other medical conditions that can impact healing, your dentist might use a collagen membrane over your gum tissue to encourage proper healing.
If you do have a wound that's opened, again, it's important to reach out to your dentist for more help. They might replace the sutures, or they might just file down any bony areas and let the gum tissue regrow over the open area. They can also prescribe any pain medications so that the dehiscence doesn't cause any more discomfort.
Reach out to a dentist today for more information on wisdom teeth removal surgery.
Share