4 Signs You Need Your Wisdom Teeth Removed
If there is one type of tooth that needs removal more often than any other, it’s wisdom teeth. Wisdom teeth often emerge much later than the rest of your teeth, and because many people’s mouths are too small to accommodate a third row of molars, complications can ensue. Here is an overview of the signs that you may need your wisdom teeth removed.
1. Crowding or Impacted Teeth
Wisdom teeth are prone to growing in at an angle, and there are several reasons for this. For starters, these teeth can simply form at an angle. Wisdom teeth can also get lodged under the tooth in front of them and grow at an angle. In many cases, wisdom teeth are aligned crooked enough that they don’t emerge from the gums at all.
While there is not definitive research stating that angled wisdom teeth can lead to whole-mouth crowding, these teeth can certainly crowd the second molars adjacent to them. This can cause the wisdom tooth or second molar to crack, and it also promotes the formation of gum pockets behind the second molar that can trap bacteria and lead to infection.
2. Pain and Inflammation
Often the most common site for wisdom tooth pain is in the gums directly around the tooth. The pressure of wisdom teeth trying to emerge can cause the gums to swell and become red and inflamed. Pain can also extend to the jaw around the tooth, especially if an infection begins to set in. You may notice that your jaw is stiff and it is difficult to open your mouth.
Often the most common site for wisdom tooth pain is in the gums directly around the tooth. The pressure of wisdom teeth trying to emerge can cause the gums to swell and become red and inflamed. Pain can also extend to the jaw around the tooth, especially if an infection begins to set in. You may notice that your jaw is stiff and it is difficult to open your mouth.
3. Cracked or Infected Teeth
The pressure on an impacted tooth can be great enough to crack the tooth as it continues to try to erupt from the gums. A dentist should treat a cracked or broken wisdom tooth as soon as possible, as it creates an easy route for infection. Many cracked teeth have exposed pulp that bacteria can attack, and the bacteria may work its way down into the dental socket and start an infection beneath the gums.
Another reason to treat broken wisdom teeth quickly is that they become harder to remove the more they chip away. Wisdom teeth can break until they are no longer exposed above the gums, requiring a more invasive surgical procedure to free them from under the gums.
4. Dentigerous Cysts
When your immune system is faced with infection, it will often try to wall off the infection from nearby healthy tissues. This is the process that results in a dentigerous cyst. Dentigerous cysts are small, round pockets that contain liquid and are usually located near an infected tooth. These cysts are most commonly seen around infection-prone bottom wisdom teeth.
Dentigerous cysts near wisdom teeth are treated at the same time as the tooth is removed. Your oral surgeon will drain the cyst and then remove the tooth to prevent infection from recurring. Then your body will fill the pocket created by the cyst with bone-like material. Oral surgeons will sometimes use a synthetic material to fill the cyst and accelerate healing.
Wisdom teeth removal can save you a lot of pain and discomfort, greatly improving your quality of life. Contact Apollo Dental Center if you are in need of wisdom teeth extraction so we can restore your healthy smile!
