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Keeping or Removing Wisdom Teeth

1st October, 2010 - Posted by health news - No Comments

What are wisdom teeth? The term derives from the fact that they grow much later than the other teeth, when you supposedly are “wiser” than when the earlier teeth grew. Normally, wisdom teeth appear when a person is between the ages of seventeen and twenty-five. You normally end up with four of them, on each side at the ends of the top and bottom rows. However some have grown more than four.

What’s so special about wisdom teeth? The main thing you hear about them is that they have to be removed and there is pain involved. However, this is not the usual case; most people don’t need to have them removed.

There are several ways these particular teeth can give you trouble. Some of the main ones are outlined below:

Impaction: In dental terminology, an impacted wisdom tooth is wedged underneath the gums, i.e. it has not emerged out of the gums. That means it is wedged sideways against a barrier, usually the root of another tooth; therefore, it is not able to erupt through the gums. There are three ways this may occur (with the most common listed first):

1. The tooth is angled in the direction of the front of the mouth.
2. The tooth is angled backward, toward the back of the mouth.
3. The tooth is growing at a right angle, bumping sideways into the next molar.

Partial Eruption: What is meant by this term is that a wisdom tooth emerges only partly through the gums. The main problem with this is that the gums are strongly attached only at the lower part of the tooth. The rest of the tooth is covered by loose gum tissue, which acts like a flap, also known as an “operculum.” Food gets stuck in there, but it’s hard to access the area with a toothbrush, so cavities or infection (or both) may be the result.

Infection: Infected tissue, which may or may not be abscessed, is usually indicated by gum swelling and redness around the tooth, difficulty in opening the mouth, a bad smell or taste in the mouth, or a pain in the jaw, which can also extend down the neck.

Even if a difficulty like one of the above occurs with any of your wisdom teeth, it does not necessarily constitute a reason to remove them. Your dentist or dental surgeon will judge what would be best, depending on whether he believes it is going to cause more harm than good to keep the wisdom teeth. The loose gum (operculum) could be cut off, but this operation is usually not recommended, due to possible nerve damage in the cheek or tongue.

Removing Wisdom Teeth: Some of the reasons to remove wisdom teeth are:

* They can cause pain from rubbing against cheeks or tongue.
* They can be susceptible to infection, resulting in serious discomfort or worse.
* They can shift other teeth out of place, causing crowding.
* They can cause severe pain and medical problems.

Surgery to extract wisdom teeth is very problematic. Since a wisdom tooth is a large molar, usually embedded deeply in the gums and sometimes still stuck to the bone of the jaw, a high degree of care is taken to ensure the entire tooth is removed. Also, in the immediate area of the wisdom teeth, there are several nerves that serve tongue and cheeks. Extreme precaution is taken not to disturb these at all, because permanent damage could be done.

Post-Operative Care:

Following surgery, after-care instructions are given and must be followed so there won’t be future problems. A post-operative appointment with your surgeon is necessary and usually takes place about seven to ten days after the extraction. The surgeon will want to be certain that the healing from the surgery is going well with no complications.

Usually the bleeding doesn’t stop entirely for two to three days, but there is less blood after the first day. Most dentists suggest not to rinse the mouth, as this might hinder clotting and healing. Your dentist will probably give you a supply of gauze pads, but if you run out, you can substitute wet tea bags; the tannins present in tea reduce bleeding. If you are still bleeding heavily after the first day, the doctor should be notified as soon as possible.

You may also notice an unpleasant odor coming from the wound for one to two weeks. This is normal and should disappear.

An empty tooth socket can get clogged with dirt or food. The surgeon can clear it out so it does not get infected.

A “dry socket” is an inflammation of the bone next to the socket. It is not completely known why this occurs, but the condition might be brought on by pressure (such as suction or blowing) on the surgical site. Ibuprofen, or another anti-inflammatory, reduces the inflammation and pain, usually fairly quickly – within weeks, not months.

Swelling is a natural occurrence. However, it should not last more than a week or so. If the area swells up again later, your surgeon should be informed right away.

Provided by Greenway Dental Group, MA

For more information on Tooth Extraction, visit Dentist in Greenbelt Maryland.