Do Wisdom Teeth Really Need to be Removed

Wisdom teeth grow at the back of your gums and are the last teeth to develop. As long as your wisdom teeth are healthy, you don’t have anything to worry about. However, your wisdom tooth may not have adequate space to grow, which leads to complications.

Not to mention, watching your friends and family members come back with swollen mouths and strict diet plans is sure to leave you skeptical. Chances are, you don’t want to undergo surgery. Here we discuss issues your growing wisdom tooth may cause, as well as how you can get rid of the pain:

What Can Wisdom Teeth Lead to?

More often than not, people’s mouths are too small to allow sufficient growth of wisdom teeth. Thus, it may lead to:

  • If your mouth doesn’t have enough space to accommodate your wisdom teeth, they may end up crowding or damaging the teeth around it. It may lead to misaligned biting.
  • In case your wisdom teeth are unable to develop properly, the edges may start trapping food and bacteria around them.
  • There’s a slight chance your wisdom teeth may be unable to emerge appropriately. Here the teeth end up getting trapped within your jaw. In turn, you may have to deal with painful infections or cysts that damage bone support.
  • The lack of proper growth causes food to stick between adjacent teeth. Thus, increasing the risks of tooth decay.
  • The tissues present around your wisdom tooth may start swelling. Moreover, it becomes hard to clean.
  • Complications with your wisdom teeth may lead to further issues with pressure, sinuses, and congestion.
  • There’s also the risk of developing gum diseases like gingivitis or periodontal disease.
  • Misalignment and crowded teeth may make it vital for you to get treatment to straighten your teeth.

How Do Oral Surgeons Remove a Wisdom Tooth?

It’s not always clear whether you require the removal of the wisdom teeth or not. In fact, antiseptic mouthwash or antibiotics can treat a majority of the above-mentioned conditions. In case none of these prove helpful, reach out to your oral surgeon, and schedule an appointment.

Before your doctor starts performing surgery, they’ll explain the procedure in its entirety to ensure you fully consent to it.

Next, you’ll receive a local anesthetic to numb the area surrounding the wisdom tooth. You may experience a certain amount of pressure right before the extraction due to the widening of your tooth socket.

In special cases, your doctor has to create a small cut in the gum to ease the removal process. They may also take it out by cutting it into smaller pieces.

Typically, the process lasts between mere seconds to 20 minutes. It may lead to swelling or slight pain inside, as well as outside your mouth. Moreover, the symptoms last up to two weeks and alleviate over time.

When to See an Oral Surgeon?

More often than not, patients will tell oral surgeons they experience little to no pain to avoid getting the wisdom teeth removed. However, leaving your teeth untreated after a specialist’s recommendation may lead to painful repercussions in the near future.

All in all, deciding whether you should remove your wisdom tooth or not isn’t very easy, especially without consulting a professional. That’s why it’s always best to reach out to your oral surgeon.

Ready to extract your wisdom tooth and accentuate your beautiful smile? Then venture into our website and schedule an appointment today!

Top 5 Problems Created by Impacted Wisdom Teeth

The last set of adult teeth to emerge is the third molars or ‘wisdom teeth.’ They erupt at the back of the mouth when an individual reaches adolescence or adulthood. It is pertinent to mention that the experience does anything but make you wiser. It can be extremely problematic, not to mention painful.

 

In addition to this, if it does not have enough room in the mouth to erupt through the gum or happens to get stuck under it, it is an impacted wisdom tooth. In that case, they are more prone to infections, tooth decay, and other severe dental issues.

Symptoms

When a wisdom tooth passes through the gum, one can see the parts of it. This occurrence means getting partially-impacted wisdom teeth that can be quite painful. This is because small crevices can trap, which can get difficult to clean.

In case the tooth suffers from an infection, the symptoms include a swollen jaw in addition to red, painful, bleeding gums. You may also suffer from bad breath and an unpleasant taste in your mouth. You may even face trouble opening the mouth, which can lead to difficulty in eating.

Common problems

1. Pressure on the surrounding teeth

Most wisdom teeth tend to erupt at an angle that puts pressure on the surrounding teeth. This pressure can cause the other teeth to shift, thereby damaging them. This increases the risk of contracting an infection.

2. Tooth Decay

Partially erupted wisdom teeth means food gets stuck in those small gaps. Normal brushing cannot help with the cleaning. As a result, entrapped food ends up, causing the teeth to decay.

Without timely intervention, the decay can make its way to the nerve. This can lead to dental problems like abscesses, and you might then have to go for a root canal.

3. Gum infection

Gums can suffer from infections due to untreated tooth decay. This dental problem is pericoronitis, which means painful and swollen gums. Your breath goes bad, and you experience swelling in the lymph nodes. As a result, you might not even get to open your mouth properly. Pericoronitis is what often leads people to get their wisdom teeth extracted. The pain can get so unbearable that the only solution is to get rid of the wisdom tooth.

4. Cysts

They are another major, but quite rare, complication that wisdom teeth can cause. It can get painful. Therefore, one must take it seriously. The cyst can end up damaging the nerves and lead to serious issues, like benign tumors.

5. Sinus

Are you wondering how? Well, teeth come with a long root. When wisdom teeth emerge, the root can put constant pressure on an individual’s sinus system. As a result, you might face severe headaches and sinus pain.

If you consider wisdom tooth extraction, call at (435) 228-7282 and schedule an appointment now!

3 Things to Consider About Wisdom Teeth Removal

Try saying “wisdom tooth removal” in front of adults, and you can definitely hear a few horror stories of pain, bleeding, and swelling.  The wisdom tooth extraction process may not be as bad as you perceived, or it could be far worse for more than one reason.

These are the third and final set of molars that erupt in the late teens and early 20s as per the American Dental Association. They may get stuck or squeeze in a spot with little to no room most of the time, crowding the rest of the teeth.

Moreover, they may erupt at a flat angle and get trapped within the jawbone, causing excessive pain, watery cysts, and damaged bones or teeth, according to Mayo Clinic. In turn, wisdom tooth removal becomes inevitable, and if you’re in the same boat, then here are three things to consider:

1) Wisdom Tooth Removal Requires Some Preparations:

Wisdom tooth removal is a step-by-step process that begins with a dental consultation. Your periodontist will recommend an x-ray to determine the placement of your teeth. He will also assess your wisdom teeth’ condition and the rest of the dental structure. That includes the shape of your jawbone before making any recommendations.

Some people would get one of the wisdom teeth removed while others require extraction of all four to preserve the bite and dental alignment. After a consultation, you can schedule an appointment with detailed instructions on your diet and off-the-counter painkillers and other medicines.

Typically, it’s an outpatient surgery/treatment, so you’ll be going home the same day. Nevertheless, it will cause pain and bleeding, especially on the first. You can also expect bruising and swelling for a week, so use an icepack to lessen the effects.

2) It’s a Routine Procedure:

Today, wisdom tooth removal has become a routine dental treatment to heal the pain caused due to impact. Over years of practice and refinement, the procedure has become swift, safe, and quick for a painless experience. Your dentist will administer general anesthesia, sedation, or local anesthesia, depending on the complex position and your nervousness level.

Once you’re under anesthesia, the doctor will loosen and disconnect surrounding tissues before popping out the wisdom teeth. According to oral surgeons and dentists, the entire process is more about finesse than force and requires extensive training.

Once your dentist removes the tooth, they stitch and bandage the surgical site for quick healing. Since you’ll still be under the influence of anesthesia, it’s best to bring someone with you for a drive to home and aftercare.

3) You’ll Need to Alter Your Diet After Surgery:

For the first few days after surgery, you need to maintain a liquid diet to speed up the healing process. Increase the intake of soups, clear broth, yogurt, smoothies, shakes, and pudding and, after that, move to a semi-solid and solid diet.

For another weak, you’ll rely on semi-solid, soft food such as boiled potatoes, vegetable purees, applesauce, noodles, oatmeal, and porridges. You’ll be able to resume a regular diet within two weeks, depending on the condition of your wisdom teeth sockets but stay away from crunchy and chewy foods for complete recovery.

If your wisdom teeth are causing you discomfort, feel free to reach out to us for professional consultation and wisdom teeth removal.

Wisdom Teeth Removal for Missionaries

About 3% of missionaries experience shortened missions caused by various physical health problems. By going through wisdom teeth removal, a missionary can help ensure that their mission is not interrupted by orthodontic issues.

 

Visit a Dentist

Visiting a dentist is important in ensuring that your oral health is up to date before you start serving. They will let you know if there are any problems with your teeth and what you can do to fix them.

 

Wisdom teeth often cause problems in young adults’ mouths- they can erupt in the wrong spot, crowd other teeth, become impacted, or even erupt sideways. If any of these were to happen, it could be very detrimental to your physical health.

 

Because of this, the Mission Department says that you should go through a wisdom teeth removal procedure if your dentist believes they are going to cause you issues within the next two years.

 

Prospective missionaries that are not in a routine dental-care program will want to see a dentist as soon as possible. That way they can be sure that there is enough time for a check-up and treatment if needed.

 

In short, you want any needed orthodontic work to be completed before entering the MTC. If you are in St. George with wisdom teeth problems, our team at the Oral & Facial Surgery Institute consists of an experienced and caring staff who would love to help you.

 

What Problems Can Wisdom Teeth Cause?

Every patient can experience different issues with their wisdom teeth. However, as a missionary, you will want to be sure you get them looked at before you leave to serve. Wisdom teeth removal may require a long healing time, which could interrupt your mission.

 

They also cause many problems. When an impacted tooth is not removed, it may cause swelling and pain in your gums. Wisdom teeth that are only partially erupted are hard to clean since they are in the back of your mouth- making them a potential risk for gum disease, infection, or tooth decay.

 

We are specialists when it comes to any St. George wisdom tooth extraction, so do not be afraid to reach out to us. Many of our patients are future missionaries, just like you!

 

What Happens After Removal?

Once the teeth have been removed, you will start the healing process. It is different for every person and our specialists will let you know what to do to help the process along.

 

You will likely experience some swelling and pain in your mouth. An ice pack can help reduce swelling and numb your mouth. Be sure that you only eat soft food after the procedure and avoid using a straw.

 

It can take 3 days to a week to completely recover. After this, it would be alright to start your mission. Remember that you can still be susceptible to infection for a few months, so clean your mouth often, and be sure to watch for signs of an infection.

 

Conclusion

Contact us today if you are a prospective missionary looking to have their wisdom teeth removed. We would love to answer any questions that you have about the procedure. 435-628-1100