Straightforward wisdom tooth removal, planned with an X-ray and explained before we start.
Wisdom teeth removal is not automatic. Plenty of wisdom teeth are perfectly fine where they are, and the right first question is whether yours actually need to come out. At DNTL SPOT in Hewlett, NY, Dr. Inessa Murdakhayeva and Dr. Regina Murdakhayeva assess them on the imaging and tell you honestly — then remove them comfortably if they do.
Swollen or in pain at the back? Call (516) 226-9160. We keep urgent slots open daily.
On this page
We X-ray, explain exactly what is coming out, and price it before you sit down.
An itemized estimate with your insurance applied, before treatment starts.
Dr. Inessa and Dr. Regina treat you themselves, start to finish.
Wisdom teeth are the third molars, the last teeth to develop, and they usually appear between seventeen and twenty-five. Most people have four; a meaningful minority have fewer, and some have none at all, which is a perfectly normal variation rather than a missing part.
They cause trouble more often than other teeth for a simple reason: the modern jaw is smaller than the set of teeth it is asked to hold. By the time third molars arrive, the arch is usually full. A tooth erupting into a space that does not exist either stops partway, comes in at an angle, or pushes against the molar in front of it. The American Dental Association covers the same ground.
Being impacted is not in itself a reason for wisdom teeth removal. A tooth that is fully buried in bone, causing no symptoms, with no decay, no cyst and no damage to its neighbor, can often be left alone and monitored. What matters is whether it is doing harm or is clearly going to.
Repeated infections are the pattern to watch. One episode of pericoronitis often settles; a second or third means it will keep happening, and each one is more uncomfortable and more disruptive than the removal would have been.
Aching at the back of your jaw?
Get it X-rayed before it turns into an infection. We hold urgent slots every day we are open.
We are not going to recommend wisdom teeth removal for teeth that are not causing a problem.
If your wisdom teeth are fully erupted, in a reasonable position, biting against an opposing tooth, cleanable and free of decay, they are working teeth and they should stay. If they are completely buried in bone with healthy tissue over them, no cyst, no decay and no symptoms, monitoring is a legitimate plan — we check them at each checkup and take an image periodically.
The one genuine argument for earlier removal is age. Roots are shorter and less formed before the early twenties, the bone is more elastic, and recovery is faster and less eventful. A removal at nineteen is usually a much easier experience than the same removal at forty-five. That is a reason to decide deliberately rather than drift, not a reason to remove healthy teeth.
How wisdom teeth are angled determines how straightforward removal is, and it is the main thing we are looking at on the X-ray.
We also look at how close the lower roots sit to the inferior alveolar nerve, which runs through the jaw. Where they overlap on a standard X-ray we may take a 3D scan before deciding, because that changes both the technique and the conversation about risk.
Worried about the procedure?
You will be fully numb, and we will tell you exactly what to expect and how recovery goes.
Examination and imaging of the wisdom teeth to see the angle, the root shape, the bone around it and the position of the nerve. We tell you at this point whether it is straightforward, whether it needs sectioning, and whether it should go to an oral surgeon instead.
Blood thinners, bone medications, diabetes and immune conditions all change the plan. Bring a full list of what you take, including supplements.
Topical gel, then local anesthetic, then we test before starting. You will feel firm pressure and movement during wisdom teeth removal — that is unavoidable and normal — but not sharpness.
For an erupted tooth, often none is needed. For an impacted one, a small incision in the gum gives access, and a little bone over the tooth may be removed.
The tooth is often divided into two or three pieces so each root comes out along its own path. This sounds worse than it is: sectioning is precisely what allows a tooth to come out gently instead of being forced, and it usually means less bone removal and a faster recovery.
The socket is cleaned and irrigated, and the gum is closed with stitches — usually dissolving ones that disappear in one to two weeks.
You bite on gauze for twenty to thirty minutes, and we go through written instructions before you leave rather than while you are still numb and not taking much in.
A single straightforward removal typically takes twenty to thirty minutes. A difficult impaction can take an hour. We refer to an oral surgeon where roots sit against the nerve canal, where a case needs sedation we do not provide, or where a medical history calls for a hospital setting — and we say so at the assessment rather than partway through.
First 24 hours. Bite firmly on gauze for half an hour. No rinsing, spitting, straws or smoking — each of these can dislodge the clot. Cold compress outside the cheek, twenty minutes on and twenty off. Cool soft food. Rest with your head raised, and do not lie flat.
Days two and three. Swelling peaks around day two and looks worse than it feels. Jaw stiffness is normal. Start gentle warm salt-water rinses after meals from day two. Keep brushing your other teeth, avoiding the site.
Days four to seven. Swelling and discomfort fall away steadily. Stitches dissolve. Most people are back to normal routines, though chewing on that side still feels odd.
Weeks two to four. The gum closes over. Bone fills the socket gradually over several months underneath.
Take one to two days off for a straightforward removal and two to three for a difficult impaction. Avoid strenuous exercise for three days, because raised blood pressure restarts bleeding. Bruising on the cheek or jaw is common after lower wisdom teeth removal and fades over a week or two.
Call us if pain is increasing rather than decreasing after day three, swelling is worsening after day three, bleeding does not settle with firm pressure, you cannot open your mouth at all, or you develop a fever.
Wisdom teeth removal is a common procedure, not a minor one, and you should hear the risks before consenting rather than read them on a form afterwards.
Dry socket. The most common complication, and much more likely with lower wisdom teeth. If the clot is lost before the tissue closes, exposed bone produces a deep radiating ache starting three to five days afterwards, often with a bad taste. Avoiding it is mostly about the first day: no smoking, straws, spitting or vigorous rinsing. If it happens it is easily treated — we irrigate the socket and place a medicated dressing, and relief is usually immediate. Do not tough it out at home.
Nerve involvement. The inferior alveolar nerve runs through the lower jaw, sometimes very close to third molar roots. Bruising it during removal of lower wisdom teeth causes numbness or tingling in the lip, chin or tongue. Temporary altered sensation is uncommon; permanent change is rare. This is exactly why we image carefully first, and why some cases go to an oral surgeon rather than being done here.
Infection. Uncommon, and usually presents as worsening pain and swelling after day three rather than improvement.
Sinus communication. Upper wisdom tooth roots can sit close to the sinus floor, and occasionally a small opening results. It usually heals on its own with care, and we tell you what to avoid if it applies.
Jaw stiffness. Very common for a few days, particularly after lower removals. It eases with time and gentle movement, and warm compresses from day three help.
None of this is a reason to avoid a removal that is genuinely needed. Recurring infection around a wisdom tooth carries risks of its own, and those are the cases where leaving it alone is the riskier choice.
Want the cost up front?
An itemized estimate with your insurance applied, before anything is scheduled.
Cost depends on which of your wisdom teeth are involved. A fully erupted wisdom tooth removed simply costs least. A soft-tissue impaction costs more, a partial bony impaction more again, and a full bony impaction is the most involved. Because the four teeth are often different from one another, a quote is per tooth rather than a flat price.
Most dental plans cover extractions and surgical extractions as basic or oral-surgery services, frequently at a higher percentage than major restorative work. Some plans also have medical crossover for surgical cases. We are in network with fourteen PPOs — Aetna, AlwaysCare, Ameritas, Anthem, Cigna, Delta Dental, GEHA, Guardian, Humana, Lincoln Financial, MetLife, Principal, United Concordia, and United Healthcare — and we submit a pre-treatment estimate so the figure comes from your insurer in writing. We do not participate in Medicaid or Medicare.
Where all four need removing, doing them in two visits rather than one is sometimes easier on you and can spread the cost across two benefit years. We will talk through both options. Financing is on our financial information page, and our membership plan discounts treatment for uninsured patients.
DNTL SPOT is owned and run by two sisters, Dr. Inessa Murdakhayeva and Dr. Regina Murdakhayeva. The dentist who assesses the tooth is the dentist who removes it and follows you up.
Ready to get it sorted?
Pick a time online in under a minute, or call and speak to the front desk.
We are at 1455 Broadway in Hewlett. Patients come to us for wisdom teeth removal and other extractions from Cedarhurst, Lawrence, Inwood, North Woodmere, Lynbrook, Far Rockaway, East Rockaway, Atlantic Beach, and Valley Stream.
Sunday hours help twice over here: a flare-up over the weekend does not have to wait, and a Sunday removal gives you the start of the week to recover. Our new patient resources page explains what to bring to a first visit.
Ready when you are
The assessment tells you whether your wisdom teeth need to come out at all, and if they do, exactly what is involved and what it costs. Check available times online or call the office.
1455 Broadway, Hewlett, NY 11557
(516) 226-9160
Monday & Wednesday 9:00 AM–5:00 PM · Sunday 9:00 AM–3:00 PM
