What Are Wisdom Teeth?
Wisdom teeth are found in the back of your mouth and is often referred to as your third molars. Most adults have 32 teeth and each wisdom tooth is located in each corner of your mouth and are the last adult teeth to come through.
They normally grow through between the ages of 17-21 and can often cause issues because there’s not enough room in the mouth for them to come through properly. Due to the lack of space the tooth can come through at an angle or only partially through the gum. This is what is known as impacted wisdom tooth.
What Problems Can Impacted Wisdom Teeth Cause?
You may experience the following issues:
- pain
- damage to other teeth
- overcrowding of the existing teeth
- stiffness in jaws
- swollen and infected gums
- cysts
- dental cavities
- eating difficulties
- sinus issues
How Are They Removed?
Not all wisdom teeth will cause immediate problems and even if they are impacted it might be painless. Antibiotics can help treat an infection, but for those that cause persisting issues, it is usually recommended to remove them.
Firstly, a dental radiograph (x-ray) will need to be taken in order to assess the position and angle of the impacted wisdom tooth. The location of vital anatomical structures such as nerves and blood vessels will also need to be determined. Once we have all this information, the dentist will make an assessment together with you to see whether the wisdom tooth can be done under local anesthetic in the dental chair, or you require a referral to an oral surgeon for very difficult and deeply impacted cases.
If you are experiencing problems with impacted wisdom teeth, call Divine Dental Care today and our highly experienced dentists will make your experience of removing the painful teeth as comfortable and reassuring as possible.