July 24, 2012

Should I Extract My Impacted Wisdom Teeth?


You’ve gone to your dentist for your routine checkup.  You have no pain, no discomfort in your mouth.  It’s time for you to have some x-rays.  After the dentist evaluates the x-rays, he tells you that you have impacted wisdom teeth and you need to go to an oral surgeon to have them extracted.  What do you do?

You have a lot to consider.  This kind of recommendation is especially made to younger people (usually the recommendation comes before it’s time to go off to college).  It is easier to have wisdom teeth that are impacted extracted when people are younger, because the wisdom teeth roots aren’t fully developed and the dental bone is not as dense as it is in older patients.  If the teeth are easier to remove, then the recovery is easier as well.

An impacted wisdom tooth is stuck under the gum, usually embedded in the jawbone.  Even though you have no symptoms, there are reasons to justify extracting them.  When a wisdom tooth is partially embedded in the gums and part of the crown is exposed in the mouth, there is a pocket between the gums and the tooth and this area can easily get infected.  When this happens, it usually keeps getting infected (this is called a pericoronitis), and this is very painful.  It makes sense to extract a tooth such as this when there isn’t room for the tooth to fully erupt into the mouth.

Other reasons for extracting a wisdom tooth are irreparable tooth decay, an abscess, cysts, tumors, or damage to the nearby teeth or bone.

It usually is advisable to have all four wisdom teeth extracted at the same time if you are going forward with the surgery, because it is usually painful after the procedure, so if you do only one or two extractions and you need others, you may not want to go back, fearing a repeat performance of pain and swelling.  The extractions can be several thousands of dollars at an oral surgeon’s office, and you have to consider, there always is some risk involved in any surgical procedure.  You have to consider how proactive and preventive you want to be to avoid possible problems in the future.

For information about other dental topics visit our website: www.TavorminaDentistry.com

6 comments:

  1. Thanks for great information you write it very clean. I am very lucky to get this tips from you.

    Clinical Technology

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  2. Yes, an impacted wisdom tooth is up there when it comes to being prioritized for extraction, because this is where bacteria usually thrive and cause infection. Since this wisdom tooth is difficult to clean, it is more prone to cavities and other gum disease. You might not want to feel more pain and experience more problems in the future so, it’s better if you have them removed as soon as possible.

    Lonnie Frandsen

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  3. I can relate to this! I had an impacted wisdom tooth before, and yes, my dentist advised me to get it removed. And because I didn’t want to suffer from more complicated problems in the future, I underwent wisdom tooth removal. Yes, I experienced some slight discomfort, but it took only a while. Getting them out was truly worth it. No more wisdom tooth problems! :)

    Calandra Janocha

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  4. Yes, the earlier the better. It’s best to remove the wisdom tooth early before it shows up and pushes the other teeth out of place. When that happens, it can cause dental problems and pain within your jaw. This is why many teenagers and young adults have their wisdom teeth extracted before these firmly establish roots in the jaw and cause problems.

    **Darcy Losh

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  5. Great blog you people have maintained there, I totally appreciate the work. remove wisdom teeth

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  6. Your oral surgeon will take the ultimate decision regarding the removal. X-rays will be taken to determine the extent of infection or how close the impacted teeth are to the gums surface. It's about trusting your dentist.

    ReplyDelete