What If? Wednesdays

What if your (or your child's) wisdom teeth are causing problems with your bite and overall comfort? If you haven't spoken with your dentist about your wisdom teeth, follow the guide below and take the necessary precautions to prevent further problems from arising.

Extracting wisdom teeth

For many people, the best treatment for wisdom teeth is to remove them. This treatment helps prevent future dental problems and maintain a healthy mouth and smile.

Wisdom teeth can cause problems

Your last molars, called the third molars or wisdom teeth, typically begin to come in (erupt) during the late teens or early twenties. When they don’t have enough room to grow in properly, they are considered impacted. This can cause serious problems, including;

• A very painful infection, called pericoronitis, can affect a partially erupted wisdom tooth and the surrounding gums. This infection can spread into the face and jaw.
• When a wisdom tooth tries to erupt at an angle, it can cause decay in the neighboring tooth. This happens because the wisdom teeth are nearly impossible to keep free of plaque, and the area between the teeth becomes a trap for the bacteria in plaque that cause tooth decay.
• Additional bacteria in plaque case periodontal (gum) disease, which may start near the wisdom teeth and spread throughout the mouth.
• A fluid-filled sac called a cyst may develop around an impacted tooth. A cyst can destroy a great deal of bone in the jaw before it’s noticed.

Diagnosis and treatment

To determine if extracting wisdom teeth is right for your situation, we will do a thorough examination, which typically includes x-rays. It’s often better to remove wisdom teeth early, while their roots are still small, even before the teeth have come in through the gums. This allows for easier removal, fewer complications, and faster healing.