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Wisdom Teeth

The term "wisdom teeth" refers to a specific kind of molars that are located at the extreme rear of the mouth. These teeth typically come in about the time a person is in their late teens or early twenties, although they can become impacted (fail to erupt) due to a lack of space in the jaw or an angle of entrance. The "mesial" type of wisdom tooth impaction is by far the most frequent. This type of impaction describes a tooth that is tilted forward toward the front of the mouth.

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When a wisdom teeth becomes impacted, it is possible that it will need to be extracted. In the event that it is not removed, it may cause your gums to become sore, swell, or even cause you considerable pain. It is typically quite challenging to clean impacted wisdom teeth that have either partially or fully erupted, and these teeth are at a higher risk for developing tooth decay, recurrent infections, and potentially gum disease.

Each patient's scenario is unique. In order to assess whether or not your wisdom teeth will need to be extracted, your dentist will often take a panoramic X-ray of your mouth. If you have been advised by your dentist to have your wisdom teeth extracted, you should schedule the procedure as soon as possible rather than putting it off.

When a person is in their late teens or early twenties, they often have their wisdom teeth extracted. This is done because there is a greater risk that the roots of the teeth have not fully grown and the bone that surrounds the teeth is less dense at this age. These two aspects might make the extraction process simpler, which would, in turn, cut down on the amount of time needed for recovery.

Before removing a wisdom tooth or wisdom teeth, it is necessary for your dentist to provide a local anesthetic to numb the region surrounding the tooth. If you are anxious about having your tooth extracted, your dentist can give you additional medicine to keep you sedated and safe while the process is being performed. In order to successfully remove the impacted tooth, your dentist may need to cut away a part of the bone that covers the tooth. This is necessary because the tooth may still be embedded in the jaw bone beneath the gums. Your dentist will frequently "section" your wisdom tooth so that each piece can be taken through a small opening in the bone. This is done with the goal of reducing the quantity of bone that is removed along with the tooth.

After having your wisdom teeth removed, you will need to start the healing process right away. The length of time that wisdom teeth take to heal after an extraction varies according on the degree of difficulty associated with the procedure. Your dentist will inform you of what to anticipate and will give you advice to ensure that the healing process is as comfortable and effective as possible.

An In Depth Look at Impacted Wisdom Teeth:

A great number of individuals are familiar with the term "impacting" one or more teeth, particularly when it refers to the third molars in young adults. These teeth are still buried beneath the surface of your gums, but their ultimate goal is to break through the gum tissue and become visible. However, they are unable to do so for an unknown number of reasons.

Continue reading to learn about the causes of impacted teeth, the symptoms of this condition, and the treatment options available.

What exactly is an impaction in the tooth?

We have previously dropped a few hints about this, but impacted teeth are teeth that are prevented from erupting through the gum line due to various factors. Additionally, it is possible to have only a portion of a tooth that is impacted. This occurs when a tooth that has already broken through the soft tissue a small amount becomes caught and is unable to break through the remaining tissue completely.

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Where did these teeth become impacted in the first place? Surprisingly, all of your teeth are there when you are born. The first teeth that erupt are the primary, sometimes known as baby, teeth. These teeth become unstable and eventually fall out, and the permanent teeth in your mouth start to grow in to take their place. Children typically get their first set of molars around the age of 6, their second set of molars around the age of 12, and their third set of molars, also known as their "wisdom teeth," much later in life.

The third molars, sometimes known as wisdom teeth, are the teeth that are most likely to become impacted. People often don't get their third and final set of molars until they are between the ages of 17 and 21. Because you have apparently gained more "knowledge" by the time these teeth erupt, people refer to them as wisdom teeth.

Despite the fact that these wisdom teeth almost always remain in place, some people's gum tissue prevents them from ever erupting and coming to the surface. When they are finally ready to erupt, the jawbone has already ceased growing, and there is frequently not enough room for the teeth to come in.

However, even if they don't come in, wisdom teeth that are impacted might have a harmful impact on the other teeth in your mouth. As a result of the risk that they provide to the neighboring teeth, which could be displaced as a result of their pushing on those teeth, they are typically extracted.

Signs and symptoms of teeth that are impacted

How can you tell if you have a wisdom tooth or wisdom teeth that is/are impacted in your jaw? It is possible that you will be unable to learn that you have unerupted wisdom teeth until your dentist takes an x-ray of your mouth and notices the tooth lying dormant beneath the gum line.

On other occasions, you could end up experiencing symptoms that range from unpleasant to downright severe. This could include the following symptoms:

  • Inflamed, painful, or swollen gums
  • Bleeding gums
  • An awful taste in your mouth
  • Bad breath
  • Difficulty opening your mouth
  • Pain when chewing or opening your mouth
  • Jaw discomfort or jaw pain
  • Trouble opening your mouth

Because symptoms might appear and disappear at any time, you cannot assume that there is no need for therapy just because the symptoms have vanished. In addition, the presence of any one of these symptoms may point to the presence of another oral health issue, such as periodontal disease or tooth decay.

Make an appointment with Dr. Cohan as soon as you can so that these symptoms can be checked out before the situation gets any worse and so that the dentist can perhaps locate any impacted teeth.

What are the reasons why a tooth becomes impacted?

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How exactly does one end up with a tooth that is wedged in the gum tissue?

Impaction might have a few different reasons for occurring.

The most typical explanation is that your mouth does not have sufficient space for these teeth to fit in properly. This could be the result of orthodontic treatment that you've had in the past, or it could be hereditary.

The experts aren't completely sure why humans have this seemingly extra set of teeth that grow in so much later than the other molars do, but they are aware of the fact that they do. Given the advancements that have been made in dental care, there are some anthropologists who believe that people simply do not require them any longer. Because most of the foods we eat are now cooked, the typical human diet is easier to chew, and it's possible that people are losing fewer teeth as a result.

Should an extraction be done for impacted teeth?

There are some cases in which the extraction of impacted teeth is not required. It is not required to remove the teeth if they are acting normally and are not producing any other problems with your dental health. In this case, extraction would be unnecessary.

Impaction, on the other hand, can occasionally have a detrimental effect on the other teeth in your mouth. This is especially the case if you've had a significant amount of work done with orthodontics.

Your other teeth may be pushed forward if you have impacted teeth that are trying to make their way into the rear of your mouth. This can cause the remaining teeth to become crowded, which will destroy the lovely straight smile that your orthodontist worked so hard to produce. It's possible that your retainer won't be enough to prevent this from occurring.

If your dentist determines that your impacted teeth will have a negative effect on the other teeth in your mouth, the best course of action is typically to have them extracted as soon as possible. This will allow your other teeth to have the best chance of survival. This is another another reason why you need to choose a dentist and maintain routine appointments with them.

How are teeth that are impacted treated?

When it comes to dealing with impacted teeth, dentists have a few different strategies up their sleeve. Elimination is not the only choice available.

Watch this space!

Your dentist may suggest that you just wait and see what happens with your impacted teeth if they appear to be healthy and are not causing any discomfort. It's possible that your teeth will remain in the gum tissue for the rest of your life, and that this won't affect the health of any of your other teeth.

When your impacted teeth aren't generating any symptoms, like as pain or discomfort, it's common for you to be completely unaware that you even have them. In most cases, you won't learn about them until your dentist brings them to your attention after discovering them on your routine dental x-rays.

Eruption aids

We mentioned that your wisdom teeth are the ones most likely to get impacted throughout our conversation. On the other hand, more teeth that you require can also become impacted. For instance, if one of your canine teeth is impacted, your dentist will attempt to coax it out of the gums and into the mouth. This helps to protect both the aesthetic and functional qualities of your mouth.

This form of impaction is typically caused by another tooth that is in the way and blocking the path. In many cases, dentists are able to extract the tooth that is causing problems out of the way by using braces or brackets. If this does not work, your dentist may need to remove one of your baby teeth or perhaps one of your adult teeth in order to make way for the replacement tooth. When performed on younger patients, this extraction technique shows the greatest degree of success.

If the tooth cannot be saved in any other way, your dentist will need to extract it and replace it with either a bridge or dental implants.

Surgery

In most cases, you will require oral surgery in order to have impacted teeth extracted if they pose a threat to the overall health and structure of your mouth as well as the health of your remaining teeth. If you are suffering painful symptoms as a result of the impaction, this surgery may also be a useful method for treating such symptoms. However, even though you may not feel anything, your dentist may determine that the impacted teeth are already having a detrimental influence on the other teeth in your mouth or that they may in the future.

The removal of impacted teeth is regarded to be a regular surgery that is completely risk-free. You will spend the day in your oral surgeon's office, and then you will head back home. Sedation is administered to some patients throughout the treatment; however, the vast majority of patients are able to undergo surgery with only a local anesthetic.

The entire process can be finished in a little thirty to forty-five minutes, give or take. The majority of people will be fully recovered within seven to ten days and able to resume their typical activities within just a few of days after that.

Issues with teeth that are just slightly impacted

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We have been concentrating our efforts thus far on the problems associated with fully impacted teeth; but, what about moderately impacted teeth? When a tooth does not come through the gums, it is shielded from the development of plaque and tartar, as well as the destruction that oral bacteria can cause through the process of tooth decay.

Teeth that have only partially impacted are not afforded this protection. In addition, it is more difficult to clean them due to the fact that so little of their surface area is accessible and the fact that they are (supposedly) located so far back in your mouth.

This places them at an increased risk for dental problems such as cavities, decay, infections, gingivitis in the gum tissue around their teeth, and other conditions.

When you should visit Summerlin Dental Solutions if you have impacted teeth

If you are experiencing any of the symptoms that we have described in this post, you should make an appointment with a dentist as soon as possible. There are a variety of dental issues that could be affecting you, including an impaction or one of the others. When these issues are addressed sooner rather than later, it is much simpler to resolve the situation.

In addition to that, it is essential to have consistent dental checkups. It's possible that you won't realize you have an impacted tooth that's causing issues with your other teeth until it's too late to do anything about it. Dentists have access to a variety of preventative tools, like dental x-rays, which allow them to keep one step ahead of any problems and better protect their patients' oral health.

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851 S Rampart Blvd #230, Las Vegas, NV 89145 | (702) 341-9160
851 S Rampart Blvd #230, Las Vegas, NV 89145 | (702) 341-9160