Most adults can relate – at some point, you will likely have to face getting your wisdom teeth out.
Wisdom teeth, or your third molars, are the last teeth that come in during your lifetime, usually between the ages of 17 to 25. For some people, their teeth are naturally aligned properly, and the surrounding gum tissue is healthy. In these cases, the teeth do not have to be removed. For the rest of us, wisdom teeth extraction is probably in our near future!
Reasons to get your wisdom teeth out
As you may have gathered, wisdom teeth can cause a vast amount of pain, triggering various problems in your mouth. This can occur if your wisdom teeth partially erupt through the gums, creating flaps of skin around the tooth which can get red, swollen, and possibly infected. Because wisdom teeth can be difficult to clean around, gum disease and tooth decay are common issues. This difficulty in cleaning can also put the adjacent teeth at risk for cavities, leading to additional tooth loss.
Sometimes wisdom teeth cannot erupt through the gums at all due to insufficient room in your jaw, or, they are crooked and crowd the other teeth in your mouth – ouch! We generally recommend that you have impacted or obstructed wisdom teeth extracted shortly after they come in, or, if they’ve started harming other teeth as they erupt in your mouth.
In the case of a more difficult or complicated situation, we may refer you to an Oral Surgeon who will conduct the procedure under a general anesthetic. Either way, all of the options will be discussed with you in detail at your dental appointment.
If your wisdom teeth are bothering you and you think you may be a good candidate for wisdom tooth extraction, give us a call by dialing 519-637-1811.