You will notice that the final teeth that will develop when you’re all grown up would be your wisdom teeth or the third molars. Yes! You have four wisdom teeth and it comes out at the age of 17-21 years old and can be found at the back corner of each mouth.
Sometimes, the wisdom teeth fail to come out and they often become trapped or impacted in the jawbone area. It is termed “impacted” when it fails to erupt in the dental arch within the expected time. The reason why it fails to come out is that the adjacent teeth, overlying bone, or excessive soft tissue is preventing it to erupt. There are abnormal positions of wisdom teeth can be tilted, sideways, lying down or even twisted and these positions can be seen if you have a panoramic x-ray taken. Remember that your wisdom teeth are retained unless it is surgically removed.
Another reason for it to become “impacted” is that because of having inadequate space in your jaw. Sometimes, you would also experience pain or swollen gums on that area of your jaw. It means that food, bacteria and plaque has started to infect the area. This usually brings about mild to severe pain and infection can be brought about. You may have what they call “Pericoronitis”. Extraction should be performed as soon as your dentist determines that the tooth is impacted or infected.
Our dental surgeon would always advice you to have it remove at a younger age because the removal of impacted teeth becomes more difficult as you age. The reason behind this is that younger patients can tolerate the procedure better and recover more quickly and has less interference with their daily lives. The ideal time for removal of impacted third molars is when the roots of the teeth are one-third formed and before they are two-thirds formed, usually during the late teenage years, between ages 17 and 20.
What are the causes of impacted wisdom teeth?
Having impacted wisdom teeth which sometimes are in an unusual position and can cause the following:
- Crowding or displacement of the other teeth
- Tooth decay
- Infections
- Gum problems
How are they removed?
Your unerupted third molars can be removed by our oral surgeon even if you have patient anxiety there is such a thing as sedation to reduce your dental stress. Since with this type of surgical procedure, sometimes it does involve unpleasant noises and sensations which patients are not happy about. As a result, surgeons who would routinely perform the removal of impacted wisdom teeth commonly recommend their patients some type of profound anxiety control such as conscious sedation which includes oral sedation and IM/IV sedation and even general anesthesia as well. Nitrous oxide or “laughing gas” is an option for controlling your dental anxiety as well.
Whatever method you and your surgeon would choose here at BrightSmile Avenue, rest assured that you are in good hands. Proper rest is always recommended to avoid further complications.
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