Maybe your family dentist mentioned your teenager’s wisdom teeth at the last checkup. Maybe your own jaw has started to ache in the back. Either way, the right first step is a real evaluation: 3D imaging, an honest look at whether those teeth need to come out at all, and a plan for sedation that keeps the day easy. That is what a consultation at Glacial Sands OMS is for.
Meet Dr. Sonia Bennett, a board certified oral and maxillofacial surgeon, the expert in face, mouth and jaw surgery. Get a clear picture of what your wisdom teeth are doing, and an honest recommendation before you decide anything.
Prefer to talk first? Call or text (219) 964-4321. A person answers, not a call center.
Families from La Porte choose Glacial Sands OMS for wisdom teeth removal: about a 25-minute drive to our Chesterton office, a board certified oral and maxillofacial surgeon, and sedation options that keep the visit calm.
Tell us a little about the situation. We will reach out to schedule the evaluation. If someone is in pain right now, calling or texting (219) 964-4321 is faster.
Some wisdom teeth never cause a problem. Others announce themselves clearly. These are the signs we take seriously, and any one of them is a good reason to get imaging and an honest opinion.
Aching, pressure, or a jaw that feels tight near the back teeth, especially if it keeps coming back.
Gums that swell, bleed, or get sore around a partially erupted back tooth can flare again and again.
An impacted tooth cannot erupt properly. Impacted teeth are a common reason dentists refer patients to a surgeon.
Front teeth that start to overlap or a bite that feels different can be part of the conversation, especially during orthodontic planning.
Back teeth sitting at an angle trap food and plaque where a toothbrush and floss cannot reach.
Sometimes an X-ray shows a cyst, damage to a neighboring tooth, or roots developing toward a nerve, long before anything hurts.
Not every wisdom tooth needs to come out. Some are healthy, well positioned, and easy to keep clean. The consultation is how you find out which kind you or your child has, with imaging in front of you instead of guesswork.
College breaks are short, and wisdom teeth rarely pick a convenient time to act up. So we built the process around the break: the talking happens before you travel, and the surgery happens in a single visit while you are home.
Meet Dr. Bennett, a board certified oral and maxillofacial surgeon, by Google Meet from campus or from home. With a panoramic X-ray from the past two years, we can look at your wisdom teeth together, talk through whether they need to come out, and pick a surgery date.
Send your imaging and records ahead of time and we review everything before you arrive. Surgery is scheduled inside your window: Thanksgiving, winter break, spring break, or summer. Final planning uses 3D imaging in our office, so surgery day itself holds no surprises.
Come in once for surgery, then recover at home with family, where the couch, the ice packs, and the soft foods already are. Most students are back to their normal routine within the week, and our team stays a call or text away while you heal.
Dr. Sonia Bennett, board certified oral and maxillofacial surgeon, is right here in your neighborhood.
Glacial Sands Oral, Facial, Implant Surgery, Chesterton, Indiana.
Most wisdom teeth stories start with a family dentist, and that is a good thing. Your dentist knows your teeth, your history, and your family. When a case needs surgery, sedation, or a higher level of planning, your dentist brings in a specialist. That partnership is how good dentistry has always worked.
Anxiety about wisdom teeth surgery is normal, for teenagers and parents alike. At your consultation, sedation is matched to the case and to the patient’s comfort, and every option comes with continuous monitoring throughout the procedure.
The area is fully numbed and you are awake. A good fit for a simple, erupted tooth and a patient who feels fine about being awake.
Laughing gas takes the edge off anxiety and wears off quickly afterward. It can be combined with local anesthesia.
The most popular choice for wisdom teeth. You sleep through the procedure and remember little or nothing of it, with continuous monitoring throughout.
Fully asleep, for complex impactions and patients whose needs call for it. Dr. Bennett’s hospital residency training included anesthesia, which is part of why anxious patients choose a surgical specialist.
In a JAMA Surgery study of more than 1.1 million surgical patients, patients treated by women surgeons had lower rates of complications, readmission, and death than patients treated by men, at both 90 days and one year after surgery. At Glacial Sands OMS, every surgery is performed by Dr. Sonia Bennett, a board certified oral and maxillofacial surgeon.
Wallis CJD, et al. “Surgeon Sex and Long-Term Postoperative Outcomes Among Patients Undergoing Common Surgeries.” JAMA Surgery, 2023.
No two mouths are the same, so we will not quote a made-up number online. Here is what actually goes into your cost, and the promise that comes with it: a written estimate for your exact case, in hand, before any treatment begins.
Removing one wisdom tooth and removing four are different operations. Many patients choose to remove all four in a single visit, which usually means one sedation and one recovery.
A fully erupted tooth is simpler to remove. A tooth stuck under the gum or bone takes more surgery, and its position near nerves and sinuses matters to the plan.
Local anesthesia, nitrous oxide, IV sedation, and general anesthesia are different visits with different costs. We will lay out the options and their prices in your written estimate.
3D CBCT imaging shows the exact position of each tooth, its roots, and nearby nerves before surgery day, so the plan is based on your anatomy, not assumptions.
Glacial Sands OMS is an out-of-network practice, which is part of how we keep treatment decisions between you and your doctors rather than an insurance company. We file dental claims as a courtesy, and your written estimate shows your cost before treatment, so there are no surprises.
CareCredit and Cherry financing, including 0% plans for qualified patients, can spread treatment into monthly payments that fit a family budget.
Every patient heals at their own pace, so think of this as the general shape of the week, not a promise. Your aftercare plan is personal, written, and reviewed with you at your visit.
Rest. Ice on the cheeks, soft foods, and taking it easy while the anesthesia wears off. Most patients are surprised by how manageable the first evening is.
Swelling usually peaks around day two or three, then fades. Many teenagers miss a couple of days of school; many adults plan a long weekend. Gentle rinsing and soft foods are the routine.
Follow the written aftercare instructions, keep the area clean, and add foods back as comfort allows. If anything worries you, our team is a call or text away at (219) 964-4321.
From 324 Google reviews of Glacial Sands Oral, Facial, Implant Surgery in Chesterton. Here is what wisdom teeth patients and parents say:
“I have never felt so safe, calm, and educated at a dentists office! Dr. Bennett and her excellent team took the best care of me while extracting all 4 of my wisdom teeth. I was constantly reassured, and felt so safe and confident that I was getting the best care thanks to them. They’ve even called to check up on me to make sure things are going well. I would recommend her to literally everyone and anyone who needed services!!!”
“My daughter had her wisdom teeth out this week and we were very pleased with the care provided by Dr Bennett and her team. I would highly recommend Glacial Sands to anyone in need of oral surgery.”
“I’m so pleased with my experience at Dr. Bennett’s office! The entire process of my wisdom teeth removal was seamless from start to finish. Dr. Bennett and her team were professional, caring, and attentive every step of the way. I’ve had minimal pain, and the staff has even followed up to make sure I’m healing well and to answer any questions I might have. I highly recommend Dr. Bennett and her team, they truly go above and beyond!”
The late teens are the most common time, because the roots are often not fully formed yet and younger patients tend to heal quickly. But there is no deadline that works for everyone. Adults in their twenties, thirties, and beyond get evaluated too, especially when symptoms start. An evaluation with 3D imaging gives you a personal answer instead of a general rule.
No. A wisdom tooth that is healthy, fully erupted, well positioned, and easy to keep clean may never need removal. Teeth that are impacted, infected, damaging a neighbor, or impossible to clean are a different story. At the consultation, Dr. Bennett will show you the imaging and explain which category each tooth falls into, including the option of monitoring.
Your surgery is done with sedation matched to your case, including IV sedation and general anesthesia options, and your comfort is monitored continuously. Dr. Bennett’s hospital residency training included anesthesia, which is part of why patients who are anxious about dental work choose a surgical specialist. Afterward, soreness is expected for a few days and is managed with your written aftercare plan.
After a tooth is removed, a blood clot protects the socket while it heals. If that clot is lost too early, the area can become sore a few days after surgery. That is a dry socket. It is uncomfortable but treatable, and following your aftercare instructions, including no straws and no smoking or vaping, lowers the risk. If pain gets worse instead of better after the first few days, call us and we will take care of it.
Often two to three days, and many families schedule surgery before a weekend or a school break to make it easier. It depends on how many teeth are removed, how impacted they are, and the sedation chosen. We will help you plan the timing at the consultation.
Many general dentists remove straightforward, erupted wisdom teeth, and they do it well. Cases that are impacted, close to a nerve, or best done with IV sedation are usually referred to an oral and maxillofacial surgeon, whose residency training is focused on exactly this kind of surgery. Either way, your dentist stays part of the team, and many of our patients arrive through their dentist’s referral.
Often, yes. Removing all four at once usually means one sedation, one recovery, and one round of time off school or work. It depends on your imaging and your health, and some cases are better staged. Dr. Bennett will lay out the options at your consultation and you will decide together.
Yes. If you have a panoramic X-ray, called a pano, from within the past two years, the first consultation can be a virtual visit by Google Meet. It works well for an early conversation about timing and options, including a teenager’s first evaluation. Final surgery planning still uses 3D imaging in our office, and we will tell you plainly if an in-person visit is the better first step.
Glacial Sands OMS is an out-of-network practice, which is part of how we keep treatment decisions between you and your doctors rather than an insurance company. We file dental claims as a courtesy, and your written estimate shows your cost before treatment, so there are no surprises.
Glacial Sands OMS sits in Chesterton, an easy drive from the towns around us. Wherever you are coming from, the care is the same: a board certified oral and maxillofacial surgeon, 3D imaging, and sedation options matched to your case.
Book a consultation. 3D imaging, an honest recommendation, sedation options, and a written estimate in hand.