We all know that teeth erupt in our childhood or early teen stage, but the surprise is that during your late teen years or even early twenties, there are still 4 teeth coming out.
Let’s know more about the nature of these special teeth. Wisdom teeth are also called third molars; they are part of the natural set of teeth we have.
Like all molars, they have functions in chewing and mixing food.
But nowadays, wisdom teeth have become one of the most affected teeth in the mouth because of genetic diseases or because it doesn’t have a space in our mouths.
Also, wisdom teeth are the most commonly congenitally missing teeth in our mouth.
But, it’s found that even when it’s found, it may be problematic.
How to know that there’s a problem with your wisdom tooth?
You may feel discomfort, swelling, and pain, also a sensation of pressure in the back of your mouth.
When should I remove my wisdom teeth?
If your wisdom erupts with the wrong angulation which most commonly occurs, it will partially erupt and accessibility to them will be difficult, so not cleaning them will cause infection and inflammation in the form of caries or gum disease.
Moreover, sometimes the gingiva covers the wisdom tooth, so when the patient bites, the gingiva becomes inflamed and the patient suffers from pain and swelling.
So, in these cases removing wisdom will be the wisest choice as having them in that state won’t only harm them, but also will harm the surrounding teeth.
So, the complete evaluation done by Honest Teeth is essential to determine whether to remove it or not.
Also, keep in mind that sometimes the dentist decides, after making an x-ray, that the removal of wisdom teeth is the best choice to prevent bigger future problems.
What will I experience after the extraction of my wisdom tooth?
As with any other extraction, you’ll experience some transient symptoms that will go away after a few days as:
Pain and swelling: This a normal occurrence after any extraction due to mild trauma during the process, to overcome this the dentist will prescribe a steroidal anti-inflammatory drug with narcotic medication; also it’s recommended to use ice for the first 24 hours to minimize swelling.
Dry socket: That’s a common complication of surgeries, and it occurs due to loss of blood clots so the socket remains open, but don’t worry, the dentist will treat this with an oral antiseptic solution and specialized dressing. But to prevent it from occurring in the first place, try to follow the dentist’s post-extraction instructions as eating soft food, not drinking hot drinks, and not smoking.
Bacterial infections: Sometimes, bacterial infections occur, and puss forms in the socket, and in that case, the dentist will drain the abscess and prescribe a suitable antibiotic for you.
Here we come to the most important question, can I keep my wisdom teeth?
This is not the right question; the right question is when do I have to extract my wisdom tooth?
As long as your wisdom teeth are doing their job and functional, keep them clean and go to your dentist regularly to check them, as extraction is done only in specific cases.
If you think your wisdom teeth are ready to come out, give us a call 262-784-7770 and we can get you scheduled right away.