Wisdom teeth are the third molars and the last set of teeth to develop in the back of your mouth. The emergence of your wisdom teeth typically occurs at ages 17 to 25, where it earns the moniker “Wisdom teeth” due to its late appearance, and its eruption takes place at an age when people seem to be wise and mature enough than children.
Some develop their wisdom teeth with the absence of experiencing any issues. However, suppose your wisdom teeth are deficiently established or have emerged improperly due to having insufficient room to break through the gum. In that case, this may result in misaligned wisdom teeth and incorrect positioning. This occurrence is considered “Impacted.”
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Impacted Wisdom Teeth In A Nutshell
Wisdom teeth are frequently impacted because they fail to develop correctly or emerge entirely through the gum line. In most cases, this indicates that your wisdom teeth have become trapped in your jawbone or between your gum tissue.
Severe discomfort can be felt when you have developed impacted wisdom teeth. If it is left untreated, several dental health complications can emerge. Thus, it is critical to have your teeth examined at the nearest dental clinic. If you live in Brisbane, various dental services such as Brisbane’s Skygate Dental offer medical evaluation and treatment recommendations.
Impacted Wisdom Teeth Symptoms
How will you know if your wisdom teeth are impacted? Unfortunately, self-assessments and conclusions are difficult and inaccurate. Hence, it is critical to maintain regular dental check-ups and request medical evaluation, such as an X-ray, to check for the appearance and placement of your wisdom teeth from your dentist or oral surgeon.
Keep in mind that when dealing with impacted wisdom teeth, the appearance of severe symptoms may not always present itself. On the other hand, when an impacted wisdom tooth becomes infected, it can result in various dental health conditions. Listed below are some of the symptoms that you may experience.
Swollen Gums
If wisdom teeth develop inadequately and emerge incompletely and improperly, food particles can become trapped between the teeth, causing cavities and infection to occur. With this, significant swelling may take place, which can cause damage to the nearby bone, teeth, and particularly, the gums.
Pericoronitis is a condition in which the gum tissue surrounding the wisdom teeth swells and becomes infected. This condition is due to the partial eruption of wisdom teeth, leaving a flap of gums that accumulates food debris and other particles, creating an ideal environment for bacteria to thrive.
Non-Stop Pain
Due to having insufficient room within the mouth or jaw to accommodate the emergence of wisdom teeth, misaligned wisdom teeth occur. With this, wisdom teeth may position in various angles such as horizontal placement, sideways, or maybe positioned either towards or distant from the secondary teeth.
With the emergence of incorrect wisdom teeth placement, excruciating discomfort can occur. Along with discomfort, impacted teeth eruption may cause persistent pain and irritation in adjacent teeth. Even though the ache may last a few days before subsiding, it will eventually come back if left untreated.
Cysts
Cysts and other relatively harmless tumors in the jaw occur when impacted teeth are left untreated. To briefly explain, cysts are sacs of fluid that accrue and infect the surrounding tissue. When this happens, cysts will damage the foundation of your neighboring teeth; though this case is rare, this can result in bone destruction.
Impacted Wisdom Teeth Extraction
If you are encountering the following symptoms and such symptoms persist, leave your hesitations behind and bring up the matter to your dentist’s attention to have your teeth examined through an X-ray for evaluation. Depending on whether the wisdom teeth are causing problems, they may need to be extracted.
Extraction of wisdom teeth is a surgical method of removing one’s wisdom teeth. This procedure is best advised and recommended by dentists or oral surgeons for impacted wisdom teeth after evaluating the position, alignment, and development stage of wisdom teeth.
Even though the procedure may seem frightening, this medical treatment for impacted wisdom teeth will help to alleviate pain, guarantee the long-term wellness of your teeth and mouth, and prevent any potential or future complications that may arise if the situation is not addressed immediately.
The Procedure
To help relieve uneasiness during the surgical procedure, local or general pain medications can be used. The impacted tooth can then be removed via an incision produced in your gums to gain access to the afflicted teeth and jawbone. Following the teeth extraction, the dentist or oral surgeon will require stitches to close the cut.
Takeaway
Having impacted wisdom teeth can have a variety of dental health complications if it is not appropriately treated and taken into action immediately. Thus, it is critical to seek medical help from medical professionals, specifically dentists and oral surgeons, to evaluate and recommend appropriate treatment if problems exist.
