By contactus
December 28, 2011
Category: Uncategorized
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Your third molars are more commonly called wisdom teeth, and are the very last teeth to erupt, making their appearance anywhere from your late teens to your mid or late 20s. They are often problematic as many people's jaws are simply too small to comfortably accommodate them, and in their effort to erupt they can become impacted. If your wisdom teeth are impacted then this means they are trying to erupt from underneath other teeth, or they may even be growing sideways or may choose to partially erupt. It's quite common for wisdom teeth to need extracting and common reasons include:

·      Wisdom teeth that are impacted

·      Wisdom teeth which haven't fully erupted, as partially erupted teeth can leave gaps enabling bacteria to enter the tooth causing decay and infection

·      Cases where wisdom teeth are poorly aligned and could damage the adjacent tooth

·      Cysts which sometimes form underneath wisdom teeth can damage the tooth roots or jawbone

Because of their position in the mouth, many people find wisdom teeth very difficult to keep clean and it can be especially difficult to floss thoroughly in a crowded jaw. This frequently leads to tooth decay developing. If this decay isn't picked up quickly it can spread to the adjacent molars exacerbating the problem.

Although it is quite common for people to have their wisdom teeth removed, it's much easier to remove them in younger patients. As we age the bone fuses to the teeth, and it's far more difficult to extract wisdom teeth in older patients; sometimes the wisdom teeth can be close to nerves, complicating the surgery. Depending on the complexity of the surgery, it's either performed by your dentist or an oral surgeon, and you may wish to have a considerable amount of sedation. In general teeth which are impacted tend to be more difficult to extract than teeth which are partially erupted, and it's quite common to experience some swelling and bleeding after the extraction. You'll probably need to take painkillers, and some people find using ice packs helps to relieve the swelling. It's also best to stick to soft food for a few days and to drink plenty of liquids to help aid the healing process.

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