Wisdom Teeth ReMOVAL AUSTIN, TX

Wisdom teeth — your third molars — are the last teeth to develop, typically emerging between the mid-teenage years and early twenties. For most patients, there simply isn’t enough room in the jaw to accommodate them properly. When that happens, they become impacted: unable to erupt into the correct position, and capable of causing a chain of problems that affect your teeth, gums, and jaw bone for years to come. At East Austin Oral Surgery, Dr. Matthew Largent, MD, DDS has been helping Austin-area patients navigate this procedure comfortably and confidently since 2009. Whether your case is routine or complex, you’ll receive the same standard of care: thorough, personalized, and performed by one of the most comprehensively trained oral surgeons in Central Texas.

Why Wisdom Teeth Often Need to Be Removed

Left unaddressed, impacted or poorly positioned wisdom teeth create a predictable set of problems — and they tend to get worse with time, not better. The most common issue we see is pericoronitis: a localized gum infection that develops when bacteria become trapped around a partially erupted wisdom tooth, causing recurring pain, swelling, and difficulty chewing or swallowing. Beyond infection, impacted wisdom teeth can silently erode the roots of neighboring second molars, trigger cyst formation within the jaw bone, and contribute to crowding — including shifting teeth that orthodontic treatment worked hard to straighten. The difficult truth is that many of these complications develop without obvious symptoms until they’re already advanced. Early evaluation, typically in the mid-teenage years, gives you the best opportunity to get ahead of them.

The Right Time to Remove Wisdom Teeth

Timing matters more than most patients realize. Wisdom teeth are significantly easier to remove before the roots are fully developed — typically between ages 15 and 20 — and younger patients heal faster with fewer complications. Once you reach your thirties and beyond, the roots are longer, the jaw bone is denser, and both the procedure and the recovery become more involved. That said, wisdom teeth can and are removed successfully at any age. If you’re in your forties and have been putting this off, it’s not too late — it just means your surgeon needs to plan more carefully. Dr. Largent evaluates each patient’s specific situation and will give you an honest recommendation, not a one-size-fits-all answer.

Board-Certified and Dual-Degree: What That Means for You

Dr. Matthew Largent is both board-certified and dual-degree — a combination that places him among a small group of oral surgeons in the country, and reflects the highest standard of training this specialty offers. It’s worth understanding what that actually means, because it matters clinically.

A single-degree oral surgeon holds a dental degree (DDS or DMD) and completes an accredited oral and maxillofacial surgery residency. That training is rigorous, comprehensive, and fully qualifies a surgeon to perform the complete scope of oral surgical procedures — including wisdom teeth removal, dental implants, jaw surgery, and more. The overwhelming majority of excellent oral surgeons in the United States are single-degree, and patients are in highly capable hands with a board-certified OMS.

A dual-degree oral surgeon does all of that — and also earns a full Medical Doctorate (MD), typically through a combined residency program with hospital-based medical and surgical training. Dr. Largent earned his MD from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, where he also completed his surgical residency. His DDS comes from the University of Washington. What his medical degree adds in practice is meaningful: a deeper foundation in pharmacology and anesthesia, broader experience managing medically complex patients — including those with cardiac conditions, bleeding disorders, or patients on anticoagulant medications — and the ability to coordinate care across medical specialties when a case requires it. He holds hospital privileges at Dell Seton Medical Center at the University of Texas, which means the most complex cases that need a hospital setting are within his scope. For the majority of patients coming in for wisdom teeth removal, the procedure will be straightforward. But knowing your surgeon has that level of training behind him means no situation will catch him off guard.

Sedation and Anesthesia Options

Most patients want to be completely unaware during their wisdom teeth removal — and that’s entirely possible. Dr. Largent offers intravenous (IV) sedation, general anesthesia, nitrous oxide, and local anesthesia, and will recommend the right option based on your case and your preferences. One important distinction: all anesthesia at East Austin Oral Surgery is administered by Dr. Largent himself. Oral and maxillofacial surgeons are among the very few non-anesthesiologist physicians licensed to administer and manage anesthesia — a direct result of their medical training. You are monitored closely from the moment sedation begins until you are safely discharged.