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Most people accept that wisdom teeth removal will happen at some point in their life. However, those same people might also be thinking about why such an extraction may be necessary or what the actual procedure is like. We’re happy to provide wisdom teeth extraction services to patients in Waukegan, but we also want our patients to know that the extractions are necessary. The average mouth is made to hold only 28 teeth. It can be painful when 32 teeth try to fit in a mouth that holds only 28 teeth. These four other teeth are your third molars, also known as "wisdom teeth."
Why do I need my wisdom teeth removed?
So, why do so many patients need their wisdom teeth removed? The simplest answer is that wisdom teeth have the potential to create a number of oral health issues in the future. Some of them become issues as soon as the wisdom teeth erupt from the gums, but others are high-risk future problems that could develop if the wisdom teeth are left to grow on their own. Wisdom teeth are the last teeth to erupt within the mouth. When they align properly and gum tissue is healthy, wisdom teeth do not have to be removed. Unfortunately, this does not generally happen. The extraction of wisdom teeth is necessary when they are prevented from properly erupting within the mouth. They may grow sideways, partially emerge from the gum, and even remain trapped beneath the gum and bone. Impacted teeth can take many positions in the bone as they attempt to find a pathway that will allow them to successfully erupt. These poorly positioned impacted teeth can cause many problems. When they are partially erupted, the opening around the teeth allows bacteria to grow and will eventually cause an infection. The result: swelling, stiffness, pain, and illness. The pressure from the erupting wisdom teeth may move other teeth and disrupt the orthodontic or natural alignment of teeth. The most serious problem occurs when tumors or cysts form around the impacted wisdom teeth, resulting in the destruction of the jawbone and healthy teeth. Removal of the offending impacted teeth usually resolves these problems. Early removal is recommended to avoid such future problems and to decrease the surgical risk involved with the procedure.
The most common issues related to wisdom teeth are:
Impacted teeth: For some reason, although humans have developed a third set of molars called the wisdom teeth, the jawbone didn’t develop to adapt to the change. A lot of the time, a patient’s jawbone might not be large enough to allow the wisdom teeth through. As a result, when the teeth do begin to grow in where there’s not enough space, they become impacted. Impacted teeth can be very painful and can have repercussions throughout the mouth, extracting the wisdom teeth early on prevents these side effects.
Crooked teeth: Like ordinary teeth, wisdom teeth can also grow in crooked, sideways, or otherwise misaligned. Because of space issues, it might not always be possible to fix the alignment via orthodontia. In situations like these, wisdom teeth removal could be easier than to go through the trouble of maintaining the teeth.
Infection: Sometimes, the wisdom teeth don’t erupt from the gums completely. This might not sound too bad, but when the wisdom teeth only grow in halfway, the resulting “flap” of gum tissue can trap all sorts of food and germs that can circulate through the mouth. Because it can be hard to reach areas like these with your toothbrush, infection can easily develop, causing much more serious problems that will require more expensive and extensive dental treatment.
Accessibility issues: Wisdom teeth can develop cavities and gum disease just like every other tooth in the mouth, but, unlike the other teeth, they aren’t as easily accessible to a dentist. Because of how deep in the mouth the third molars are, it’s not always easy or even feasible for a dentist to reach all the way in to clean and maintain the teeth. If you are particularly vulnerable to cavities or gum disease, your dentist may recommend wisdom teeth removal just to prevent future struggles with taking care of them.
As you can probably tell, the majority of dental patients fall under one of the at-risk categories listed above, which is why so many people get wisdom teeth extractions done as soon as the teeth are ready, sometimes as early as age 16. In most cases, the removal of wisdom teeth is performed under local anesthesia, laughing gas (nitrous oxide/oxygen analgesia) or general anesthesia. These options, as well as the surgical risks (i.e., sensory nerve damage, sinus complications), will be discussed with you before the procedure is performed. Once the teeth are removed, the gum is sutured. To help control bleeding, bite down on the gauze placed in your mouth. You will rest under our supervision in our 60085 office until you are ready to be taken home. Upon discharge, your postoperative kit will include postoperative instructions, a prescription for pain medication, antibiotics, and a follow-up appointment in one week for observation. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call us.
As wisdom teeth develop, the roots become longer and the jaw bone more dense. When it is necessary to remove impacted wisdom teeth in your thirties, forties or beyond, the post-operative course can be prolonged and there is a higher complication rate. Treating these complications is often more difficult and less predictable than with a younger patient. Healing may be slower and the chance of infection can be increased. If your impacted wisdom teeth are not removed in your teenage years or early in your twenties and they are completely impacted in bone, it may be advisable to wait until a localized problem (such as cyst formation or localized gum disease and bone loss) develops. In general, you will heal faster, more predictably and have fewer complications if treated in your teens or early twenties.
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