During our lifetime, we get two sets of teeth. A primary set of ‘baby’ teeth and a permanent one or ‘adult teeth.’ The upper and lower third molars or ‘wisdom teeth’ are the last set of permanent teeth to appear in the very back of our mouth. The wisdom teeth usually begin to appear between the ages of 17 and 21 years. You might pay a visit to your dentist’s office, and the dentist recommends that you have your wisdom teeth removed. But why?
What Causes Problems with Wisdom teeth?
The recommendation to remove your wisdom tooth or teeth might be attributed to:
▪ Your wisdom teeth causing you pain or have an infection
▪ Your wisdom teeth are crowding other teeth.
▪ Your wisdom teeth can’t break through your gums (impacted).
▪ Your wisdom teeth have erupted partially (emerging partially through the gums).
Most dentists and oral surgeons advise having impacted teeth removed at a younger age before you reach 20 years old. Why? Because the roots and bone of your teeth are softer and have yet to fully form, thus making for a quick recovery after surgery.
What are the benefits of removing wisdom teeth?
1. Prevent damage to surrounding teeth
The infection or pressure caused by wisdom teeth can loosen the roots of surrounding teeth, leaving them vulnerable to cavity and bone loss. Because the very back of the mouth is hard to clean, erupted wisdom teeth create a gap that attracts bacteria that cause gum disease and oral infection.
2. Prevent cysts and jaw bone damage
Impacted teeth infection can cause cysts (fluid-filled sacs) or tumors that might damage the roots of other teeth or the jaw bone support.
3. Prevent the risk of inflammation and oral disease.
Impacted teeth are susceptible to infections, tooth disease, dental cavities, gum disease, and other dental issues. If left untreated, regular infection of the wisdom tooth can affect the heart, kidneys, and other organs when the mouth bacteria travels into the bloodstream.
4. Prevent Future Orthodontic problems
Wisdom teeth can be a cause for crowd out their surrounding teeth, thus causing damage to them. Minimal room for wisdom tooth growth over time may lead to your teeth getting out of alignment. Removing your wisdom teeth lessens the need for you to have corrective oral surgery.
What are the Symptoms of an impacted wisdom tooth?
▪ Redness and inflammation around the gum of your wisdom tooth
▪ Painful swollen and infected gum flaps in the back of your mouth
▪ Tender or bleeding gums
▪ Bad breath
▪ Pain in the jaw
▪ A Swollen jaw
▪ Difficulty opening your mouth
Are you experiencing one or more of these symptoms? We recommend that you visit your dentist for further diagnosis as soon as possible. You may never have issues with your wisdom teeth if you are over 30 years old. The extraction of a wisdom tooth is to correct an actual problem or prevent future problems.
Our professional team of dentists at Rivertown Dental can assist in diagnosing your exact tooth problem and provide solutions.