Ultimately, wisdom teeth that are trapped within the gums may eventually result in serious dental health related problems. This can include everything from damaged surrounding teeth to infection and pain. In cases like these, dental intervention is required.
Fortunately, oral surgery and the extraction techniques associated with impacted wisdom teeth removal can produce remarkable results for patients in today’s modern world of dentistry. At United Smiles we are your first and best stop for all your dental concerns, including issues with your wisdom teeth.
Your wisdom teeth, also called third molars, are the last teeth to emerge from your jaw and through your gums. Because they are the final teeth to emerge they are the teeth that most commonly become impacted and cause problems. This may happen because a wisdom tooth is turned to the side, tilted, rotated, or otherwise positioned incorrectly in the jaw.
Wisdom teeth also become impacted when there is not enough room in the jaw or the mouth for them to emerge. As dental care and diets have improved, wisdom tooth impaction has actually increased because injury or loss no longer creates extra space in the mouth.
An impacted does not always bring pain, and in some cases you may not realise you have one (or several). However, if an impacted wisdom tooth does try to erupt, the gum above may swell and cause pain. A partially erupted tooth can gather food and other debris, which can cause gum swelling and infection. Impacted teeth also can cause decay or push on the neighbouring molar, which can lead to tooth movement or decay, as well as negative changes in the bite. Impacted teeth also can cause cysts and benign (harmless) jaw tumours. These can lead to bone destruction.
Symptoms include:
Pain can occur for several days and then disappear for weeks or months before returning.
If you have these kinds of issues, you will likely need to remove these teeth.
Before extracting a wisdom tooth you will receive a local anesthetic to numb the area around the tooth. A general anesthetic may be necessary, especially if several or all of your wisdom teeth will be extracted simultaneously. Your dentist will probably recommend that you don’t eat or drink after midnight on the night before surgery.
To remove the wisdom tooth, your dentist will open up the gum tissue over the tooth and take out any bone covering the tooth. The tissue connecting the tooth and bone will be separated and the tooth will be removed. Sometimes your dentist will break you tooth into smaller pieces to make it easier to remove.
In most cases, recovery lasts only a few days. Take painkillers as prescribed by your dentist or oral surgeon. The following tips will help speed your recovery.
United Smiles is conveniently located in the heart of Mernda Village, serving patients from all Melbourne areas. Our office has ample parking at the rear of the building. Wheelchair access is also available at the front of the building.
Our goal is to make quality dental care affordable. We encourage you to take advantage of our latest offers ranging from check-up to orthodontic treatments. To find out more, visit our special offers page!
Call us today on (03) 8682 8658 or book an appointment online.