Weybridge Dentist Gives some Pointers on Wisdom Teeth
Your third molars are also known as “wisdom teeth.” They generally begin erupting between the ages of 17-25 y.o., and are the last molars to present themselves intra-orally. Your wisdom teeth may erupt into your mouth without any problems, or erupt to one side of your oral bone ridge or the other, if there is not enough room available. If there is less space available for wisdom teeth eruption, they may become impacted, and their growth into the mouth may be prevented by your gums, oral bone, or your other molars (most often your second molars). Part of the tooth may be visible in your mouth, or your wisdom teeth can be totally impacted and no tooth is visible at all. When this happens, this area of the mouth can become very painful and/or infected, depending on whether the tooth is partially erupted or fully erupted. Sometimes there is a flap of gum tissue that is loose where the teeth are erupting into the mouth. If food and bacteria build up in this area, the result will be pain from the swelling and infection. Your Weybridge dentist will clean this area out for you, and prescribe an antibiotic and warm salt water rinses to resolve the infection. Fully impacted wisdom teeth can cause more serious dental problems, in that a “cyst” may form around the crown of the tooth, or the whole tooth. This will cause problems in your jaw bone, as the bone is usually eaten away by such a problem. Your other teeth may also become affected. If left untreated, a more serious surgery procedure may have to be performed to remove it. It must be removed, or a tumour or a broken jaw in that area may result.
It is difficult to predict if you will experience problems due to your wisdom teeth. The best thing for you to do is to go visit your dentist, and have them perform all of the necessary examinations and radiographs required, so that they can evaluate your wisdom teeth. The sooner you do this, the better! Because when wisdom teeth continue to growth and develop roots, they become more difficult to remove. Your dentist may also refer you to an oral surgeon to have your wisdom teeth removed.