The ordeal of Visiting a dentist is always something that you wish to skip. And to top the nightmares is getting your wisdom teeth out. Before jumping to the outcome let us understand why wisdom teeth removal is necessary.
The human jaw size is decreasing as we are evolving over the time. And as we all know that the wisdom teeth are last to erupt, they have very little space left in the jaw. So there are more problems associated with wisdom teeth.
What are wisdom teeth?
Wisdom teeth are the last set of teeth to erupt in the jaw. They are also called as third molar. They usually erupt between 17- 25 years.
Here are some of the most common causes of wisdom teeth removal
1. Pericoronitis:
Pericoronitis is one of the most common causes
What is pericoronitis?
Pericoronitis is an inflammation of the tissue surrounding a third molar. This condition most often occurs in molars that are partially erupted, or are not fully visible. It’s commonly seen with lower 3rd molar.
Most people with pericoronitis have a pericoronal flap or gum tissue partially covering the crown of the erupting tooth. This becomes an ideal place for the food accumulation and gives cavity-causing bacteria a place to grow.
Symptoms of pericoronitis
- Severe pain
- Swollen red gum
- Bad breath
- Occasionally the pain may radiate to the ear, throat and floor of the mouth
Treatment for pericoronitis
Your dentist may recommend flap surgery. However, if this inflammation occurs again and again then it is recommended to extract the offending wisdom tooth.
2. Dental caries:
Usually caries is seen in the areas of food accumulation. As the wisdom tooth is the last one in the jaw, it is difficult to access and clean. Moreover, if it the wisdom tooth is partially erupted then the chances of infection and dental caries also increases.
Symptoms of carious wisdom tooth:
- pain and swelling surrounding the wisdom tooth.
- Redness, swelling or bleeding gums
- Bad breath
- An unpleasant taste in your mouth
- Difficultly in opening your mouth
Treatment
If these symptoms are causing trouble, then your dentist may advice wisdom tooth removal.
3. Wisdom tooth is causing Damage to a neighbouring teeth:
Due to lack of space in the jaw, the wisdom tooth may incline on the second molar. This creates pressure and then leads to damage or resorption of an associated tooth i.e 2nd molar. This also increases the chances of getting dental caries. As the 2nd molar is more important than the 3rd Molar, it is always better to extract this wisdom tooth.
4. Dental cyst:
Dental cyst is nothing but an abnormal fluid filled sac.
If the wisdom tooth is impacted a fluid filled sac can be formed surrounding this impacted tooth which is called as cyst. This cyst can grow and damage the surrounding bone, tissue and adjacent tooth.
So in such situation the dentist will remove the cyst with the associated wisdom tooth.
5. Dental tumor:
Sometimes the impacted 3rd molar can be associated with dental tumor. Many times it does not cause any symptoms until it has grown to a significant size. It can be identified on radiographic examination.
In such situation, the teeth will be extracted with the associated dental tumor.
6. Sinus infection:
The wisdom teeth in the upper jaw are in close proximity to the sinuses located under the cheekbones. When they start to grow in, the roots and teeth may place pressure on this sinus area which can lead to sinus headaches or sinus infections.
In that situation it is better to get the wisdom tooth removed.
7. Wisdom teeth removal in Orthognathic surgery:
If your jaw is abnormally placed or if you have an abnormal jaw, then your orthodontist may plan a jaw reconstruction surgery. This is done mainly for aesthetic purpose.
In such situation your wisdom teeth may be removed.
8. Unopposed and soon to supra-erupt:
If there is absence of lower third molar or it has been extracted before, then the erupting or erupted maxillary third molar is unopposed. In such cases there is a possibility of supra-eruption over time which may cause gingival tissue impingement of faulty over bite. This may indicate a need for extraction of the maxillary third molar.
Conclusion:
The infective causes can be treated; however, the wisdom teeth removal is usually recommended when other treatments haven’t worked.
The wisdom teeth may be removed due to many reasons. It will heal within few days; however, it is advisable to follow after care instructions carefully to avoid any complications like dry socket.
Also remember that not everyone will have all the wisdom teeth. They may be absent in some people while few may have 1-2 wisdom teeth out of 4. Others may also have wisdom teeth hidden (impacted) inside the gum.
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