6 Reasons to Have Your Wisdom Teeth Extracted

Most people start to feel their wisdom teeth coming in around their late teens or early twenties. These will be the last sets of molars all the way in the back of your jaw. A long time ago, these teeth were necessary in order to grind up tough pieces of food. Now, however, wisdom teeth are mostly obsolete, and can even cause dental problems.

Unfortunately, in some cases, wisdom teeth aren’t able to erupt peacefully. Your dentist may consider the problems associated with wisdom teeth and advise you to preemptively have them extracted. Keep reading to learn more about some of the specific reasons to extract wisdom teeth.

What Are Wisdom Teeth?

First, however, let’s start with some basics.

Generally speaking, your wisdom teeth are the hindmost molars that erupt in young adulthood. You’ll find them at the very back of your jaw. Most people have four in total (two on the top and two on the bottom), but it’s not uncommon to have more or less than that.

Most of the time, these wisdom teeth aren’t even strictly necessary anymore. With the advancement of cooked food and eating utensils, food just isn’t as tough as it once was.

Impacted Wisdom Teeth

As mentioned before, wisdom teeth don’t always come in perfectly correct. Impacted wisdom teeth are teeth that have become trapped in your gums or jawbone, unable to fully break through. This is a very common condition; in fact, more people than not have at least one impacted wisdom tooth.

Impacted Wisdom Teeth Symptoms

You should never have to diagnose your own dental problems. It’s usually best to go in for regular check-ups and cleanings to get your dental health assessed by a professional. Having said that, if you are diagnosed with impacted wisdom teeth, here are some of the symptoms that you might notice:

Pain or discomfort in the jaw or gum area.
A bad taste in your mouth.
Swelling of the gums in the area around the impacted wisdom tooth.

Causes Of Impacted Wisdom Teeth

Wisdom teeth can fail to emerge due to a variety of different reasons. For example, your jaw may be too small, creating overcrowding and insufficient room for the teeth to fully emerge. Else, teeth can also erupt at the wrong angle, pushing sideways instead of up. This can push against other nearby teeth, causing further damage or misalignment.

Impacted Wisdom Teeth Removal

For wisdom teeth that are not able to come in correctly, it’s fairly common to get them removed. This is where a wisdom tooth extraction comes in. A wisdom tooth extraction is a surgical procedure that involves the removal of one or more wisdom teeth.

Although this may sound a bit daunting, don’t worry too much. You’re not on your own. During your dental check-ups and cleanings, your dentist can monitor the status of your wisdom teeth and refer you to an oral surgeon if need be.

What To Expect When Getting Wisdom Teeth Removed

The good news is that you’ll probably receive some instructions prior to your wisdom tooth removal appointment. Just in case, however, here are some things to know beforehand.

Preparing For A Wisdom Tooth Extraction

Make sure to ask your dentist or oral surgeon some questions regarding preparing for your appointment. Oftentimes, it’s recommended to have someone drive you home following a tooth extraction. In this case, it’s best if you make arrangements for a friend or family member to come pick you up on the day of.

Additionally, depending on the type of anesthesia used, you may need to abstain from certain foods, drinks, or medications. Make sure to ask your dentist or oral surgeon if you need to fast before the procedure, and let them know of any medications that you’re currently taking.

Anesthesia

Your dentist or oral surgeon will most likely use some time of anesthesia for your procedure. Here are a few of the most common options:

Local Anesthesia. This is a common option for straightforward wisdom tooth removals. As implied by the name, local anesthesia numbs the gums in the area where the extraction is occurring. You are awake during the procedure.

Sedation Anesthesia. Offering a little bit more comfort, sedation helps keep you relaxed but at least partially conscious. You may only remember small bits and pieces of the procedure itself.

General Anesthesia. In the case of a very complicated wisdom tooth removal, your oral surgeon may recommend general anesthesia. This is a less common option but may be necessary for patients with impacted wisdom teeth or bone covering the area of extraction. During these procedures, patients are unconscious and typically have no memory of the procedure.

After Your Wisdom Tooth Extraction

Following your procedure, you’ll probably need some time to rest and come out of your anesthesia. During this time, you’ll want to avoid driving and heavy activity.

In the days following the procedure, try to drink plenty of water and avoid alcoholic or carbonated beverages. Follow all of your dentist’s instructions. They will most likely have a list of foods and drinks that you’re allowed to consume post-procedure. It’s important that you don’t irritate the fresh wound or dislodge the blood clot that’s formed in the area. Due to this, your dentist may instruct you not to use straws or eat hard or chewy foods for a while.

Reasons to Have Your Wisdom Teeth Extracted

As mentioned earlier, there are a few reasons why you may need to have your wisdom teeth extracted. Here are our top six.

Maintain Dental Alignment

One of the main problems with wisdom teeth is that they erupt so late in life. By the time your wisdom teeth erupt, your jawbone may have completed its development, and your teeth may already occupy all of the available space. The inadequate space will force your wisdom teeth to push the other teeth out of the way, possibly resulting in misalignment. Later on, you may need braces or other costly dental procedures to fix an alignment issue like that. That’s why it’s usually best to get ahead of any possible issues and remove wisdom teeth earlier on.

Prevent Sinus Problems

Did you know – your dental health can affect other parts of your body too?

For example, wisdom teeth in the upper jaw can put pressure on the sinuses, creating stuffiness and possibly triggering a headache. If your wisdom tooth happens to get infected, this infection may also be able to spread.

If you begin experiencing sinus problems, make sure to mention it to your primary care provider and dentist.

Prevent Jaw Pain

It’s very common for people with wisdom teeth to complain of achiness or “stiffness” in the jaw area. This is because our jaws are often just a little too small to comfortably accommodate all of the teeth that are coming in. If your wisdom teeth erupt very slowly, this discomfort can be particularly long-lasting. You may also experience ear pain.

Keep in mind that if your jaw is hurting for long periods of time, you’re likely to have stress and tension in the area. This can cause chronic headaches that affect your daily comfort and maybe even prevent you from sleeping.

Always let your dentist know if you experience frequent jaw pain. They can take a look at your dental alignment and monitor your wisdom teeth.

Prevent Dental Decay And Discomfort

Did you know? Unerupted wisdom teeth are actually a huge hot spot for cavities. This is largely for two reasons:

Wisdom teeth are the very last teeth in your jaw and are often shoved into the very corner, making them difficult to reach. This can be a problem when brushing or flossing since you’re likely to leave food particles and plaque behind.
Partially erupted wisdom teeth often find themselves covered by gums. This can allow food particles to get trapped in those gum folds, resulting in cavities and irritated gums. In serious untreated cases, this can even lead to infection.

Last but not least, erupting wisdom teeth are simply uncomfortable. Since they have to poke through gums in order to erupt, this can cause inflammation and discomfort in your gums.

Prevent Future Dental Issues

Even if your wisdom teeth don’t cause problems now, they may still cause problems in the future. For one thing, wisdom teeth complications tend to progress slowly, and they may not be obvious in the initial stages. This does not mean, however, that they won’t cause problems further down the line.

Rather than paying for costly cavity fillings or braces someday, it’s much better to get ahead of your dental health. Make sure to come in for cleanings and check-ups at least once or twice a year. During these check-ups, your dentist can take a look at your wisdom teeth and advise you on whether or not you should extract the wisdom teeth to avoid future problems. Many people agree that preventing dental issues and their associated pain is easier than waiting for the issues to develop and having to deal with them.

Avoid Future Extractions

If you don’t extract your wisdom teeth now, you may still have to do so in the future. This is because wisdom teeth tend to be problematic. As you have read above, your wisdom teeth are more likely to cause and experience more problems than other teeth.

You may wonder why you shouldn’t just wait and extract the teeth when they become problematic. Just like any other part of your body, however, your wisdom teeth can continue to grow and move. This means that they can become impacted and even develop complications. If wisdom teeth start growing in at an angle, they can push against other nearby teeth. This may eventually result in a more complicated wisdom tooth extraction.

Pediatric Dentist Tennessee

Looking for a pediatric dentist to monitor your child’s dental health and wisdom teeth? Look no further. Snodgrass-King Dental has a team of highly qualified dentists that are more than happy to help. Many of our staff members have years of experience and training in caring for children. This allows us to provide you and your family with the best experience possible.

Interested in booking your or your child’s first appointment? Simply visit our website or give your closest Snodgrass-King Dental office a call. Our staff will also be able to answer any insurance and appointment-related questions that you may have. In the meantime, however, feel free to browse our other blog articles and check out the resources found under our “Patient Information” tab. Our website also features a variety of other cool informational articles regarding teeth and dental care. Don’t hesitate to check these out.

We hope to see you soon!