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The wisdom teeth are the last of your adult teeth to come through and often don’t appear until between 18-21 years of age. Because they arrive when you are officially an adult, and supposedly wiser, they are known as wisdom teeth. Having them doesn’t make you wiser!
Unfortunately, humans in general, are getting smaller jaws. Experts have cited this as the reason for a variety of dental issues, including the increasing number of people that need to have their wisdom teeth removed. In short, there simply isn’t enough room for the teeth in your mouth anymore.
This is one of the reasons it is so important to see a reputable dentist, such as this dentist Campsie, regularly. They don’t just look after your oral health, they can help confirm the symptoms that tell you your wisdom teeth are arriving:
- Pain and swelling of gums at the rear of the mouth
- Bleeding in the same area
- Bad breath
- Aching jaw – especially when chewing
- Swollen neck lymph node
- Headaches
There are other signs but if these are accompanied by a rupture at the very back of your mouth, your wisdom teeth are on their way.
Unfortunately, they may need to be removed. If you have any of these symptoms that are likely to be the outcome:
Excessive Pain
If you are experiencing a lot of pain at the back of your mouth your dentist will check the progress of the wisdom teeth to see what the issue is.
Because they are not essential, in many cases the best course of action is to remove them.
Bad Positioning
Thanks to the fact that jaws are generally getting smaller you may not have enough room for your wisdom teeth to come through. In this instance they will come through at an angle, only part of the tooth will manage to break through.
This will be accompanied by bouts of pain and the potential for infection which your dentist will need to monitor.
Difficulty Cleaning
If you find it is hard to clean the teeth at the back of your mouth then you will be at increased risk of infection and other problems. If that is the case your dentist may recommend you have the teeth removed.
Damaging Other teeth
When there isn’t really enough space for your wisdom teeth to grow into they will be at an angle and impact the surrounding teeth. This can cause them to move or become damaged. As soon as there are any signs this is happening, or likely to happen your specialist will want to remove your wisdom teeth.
The Extraction Process
You can’t successfully remove a wisdom tooth yourself, this is definitely a job for the professionals. If the tooth has already broken the skin then it can be pulled in the same way as any other tooth.
But, if it is below the gum line or partially impacted then your surgeon will probably need to be broken into pieces and removed in sections. This takes more time but the result is the same.
