The growth of your teeth is a crucial part of your development during your youth and late teens. Your smaller baby teeth are lost at a very early age, but the adult teeth you will have for the rest of your life continue to develop into early adulthood. However, this process isn't always a smooth one.
Wisdom teeth, also known as third molars, are the set of four adult molars that grow in the back corners of your mouth. They usually grow between the ages of 17 and 25, making them the last adult teeth you develop. Being the last teeth that come in, wisdom teeth can cause issues with the rest of your teeth as they erupt through the gum line.
For example, if there isn't enough room in the mouth for them to come in correctly, the teeth can either grow at the wrong angle or become impacted, meaning that they fail to erupt from the gum and push against the tissue from the inside. These conditions can be serious and may require the help of an oral surgeon and wisdom teeth removal procedure to resolve.
Wisdom tooth extraction is considered dental surgery. If a wisdom tooth doesn't have enough room in the mouth to fill in properly, you'll likely need to have them removed. This oral surgery is so common some dentists and oral surgeons recommend wisdom tooth extraction even if impacted teeth aren't currently causing problems. They simply want to avoid common complications and prevent future problems.
90 percent of people need a wisdom tooth extraction. However, going through a dental extraction for your wisdom teeth isn't always necessary. Sometimes, wisdom teeth don't develop at all. Instead, they remain within the gums without causing problems. In these cases, leaving them alone is okay.
Wisdom tooth extraction is always related to preventing or treating existing oral health problems that require intervention by a dentist, such as:
If you notice pain or discomfort in the back of your mouth despite taking care of your teeth, you may have impacted wisdom teeth. This issue can be treated, but you must visit a dentist or a dental surgeon to fix it. If the problem goes untreated, it can lead to adverse oral health conditions that require more extensive treatment, such as the extraction of multiple teeth.
Wisdom teeth can potentially come in sideways, growing horizontally in the gums rather than vertically through them. When this happens, they interfere with the nerves and roots of nearby teeth. As a result, those teeth may end up shifting, affecting your bite and possibly damaging those teeth.
Impacted wisdom teeth will push against your gums until they stop growing or erupting. By continuously placing pressure against the tissue, wisdom teeth can cause inflammation and pain that increases in intensity. Painfully impacted wisdom teeth will interfere with your quality of life, making it difficult to eat, drink, speak, or sleep.
In some cases, an impacted wisdom tooth can cause damage to your gums. Micro tears will form in the tissue, and bacteria will enter these areas. Once bacteria make their way into your soft tissue, the chances of experiencing an infection or abscess increase dramatically. It can readily spread to other teeth, leading to decay and tooth loss.
If an impacted wisdom tooth remains trapped beneath the gums for too long, a fluid-filled sac called a cyst can develop as a result of an infection. Cysts will damage both gum tissue and the bones of your jaw over time.
An extraction is necessary when your wisdom teeth become impacted or come in at an angle that interferes with your other teeth. It's vital to consult a dental team that not only provides results but also gives you the care and comfort you need. Dr. Jeff Kesecker and the team at Legacy Surgery place as much of an emphasis on patient care as they do on continuing education and utilizing the most advanced techniques and technology for the best possible outcome.
Contact us for more information or to schedule an appointment with our oral surgeons.
