Teeth that cannot take their place in the mouth for various reasons even though it is time to erupt are called impacted teeth. Third molars (also known as wisdom teeth or wisdom teeth) are among the most common impacted teeth. If there is no room in the mouth for the third molars to erupt and the person is 25 years old and has not yet erupted, they are considered impacted.
Sometimes these teeth partially erupt, but they never reach full height.
Why don’t third molars erupt properly?
Although the jaw bones of the evolving human being started to get smaller and smaller, the number of molars did not decrease completely. As a result, in today’s people, there is usually no room for the third molars that last in the mouth. As it is known, third molars can erupt between the ages of 15 and 25.
What kind of problems can impacted third molars cause?
Caries: Saliva, bacteria and food particles accumulate in the socket opened by the newly erupted tooth, threatening both the wisdom tooth and the molar next to it. It is quite difficult to detect and treat this type of caries. Severe pictures may occur that cause pain and infection and result in an abscess.
Gum disease (pericoronitis): In the gum of a partially erupted wisdom tooth, an infection focus occurs where bacteria and food residues are stored. This causes bad breath, pain, edema and trismus (the inability to open the mouth completely). The infection can spread to the cheek and neck via the lymph. This infection-prone ground around the wisdom tooth is easily a candidate to become infected every time.
Pressure pain: If pressure is applied to the neighboring teeth during eruption, a pain may also be felt due to compression. In some cases, this pressure can lead to wear on the root of the anterior tooth.
Orthodontic reasons: Many young individuals undergo orthodontic treatment to correct crooked teeth. Since the eruption pressure of wisdom teeth will be reflected on other teeth, there will be mobility in other teeth, crowding may increase.
Cyst formation: Cystic cases caused by an impacted tooth have been observed. The cyst causes bone destruction, enlargement of the jaw, and displacement or damage to the surrounding teeth. To prevent bone destruction, the tooth should be extracted and the cyst should be cleaned. Rarely, if this cyst spreads to very large areas, it can turn into tumors or cause spontaneous fractures of the jawbone.
Why should a badly positioned wisdom tooth be extracted even if it does not cause any discomfort?
The bad position of the tooth is a sufficient reason for infection on its own. In such a case, the mentioned problems will definitely occur. Moreover, such problems develop suddenly and unexpectedly. Wisdom teeth are located in areas that are difficult to reach with brushes and floss. Bacteria, acid and food residues that cause decay over time are collected in this area. If the tooth decays and is not restored with a filling, the tooth becomes inflamed in a short time.
Since it is difficult to keep these teeth clean, the bacteria and food residues that accumulate cause bad breath.
Not every third molar may cause these problems. Antibiotics can only provide relief for a short time. Since unconscious and wide variety of antibiotic use is common in our society, the antibiotics taken may not always affect the microorganisms that cause complaints. Moreover, even if they are effective, they cannot eliminate the real problem. In other words, even after taking antibiotics, the problematic tooth is still in the mouth. It is wrong to expect the third molars to cause problems for the extraction of the third molars.
Do not forget that early third molar extractions, provided that your dentist recommends it, will prevent many problems that may arise in the future.
What is the best time to have wisdom teeth extracted?
A badly positioned tooth should be extracted between the ages of 15 and 25, whether it causes a complaint or not. Operations at younger ages are technically easier and recovery is faster. Operations over the age of 40 become quite difficult. In addition, side effects increase with increasing age and the recovery period is prolonged.
Is it different from other tooth extractions?
Depending on the position, shape and size of the wisdom tooth, the degree of difficulty of the procedure to be applied varies. After a simple extraction, there may be slight swelling, pain and bleeding. Some complex shots that require more special processes can also be applied. The precautions to be taken by your dentist and the recommendations he will find will minimize the side effects.
Post-operative care:
The wound site should not be tampered with. Otherwise, pain, infection or bleeding may develop and stitches may be thrown.
No smoking for the first 24 hours. Because smoking impairs blood circulation and negatively affects wound healing. It should not be spit. Otherwise, bleeding will increase and the clot may dislodge. If the suture is not sutured, a tampon is applied with sterile gauze. The tampon should be kept in the mouth for half an hour for clot formation. If bleeding continues after the tampon is removed, a new one is placed. To control swelling, a cold pad is applied to that area after the operation, slowing the circulation and preventing the swelling of the face.
After the first 24 hours, it is necessary to gargle with warm salt water or disinfectant mouthwashes.
Medicines prescribed by the doctor should be used regularly.
If your third molars have not yet erupted, you can visit your dentist to learn about the situation and have the active tooth extracted before some problems such as pain, swelling, infection, caries and gum diseases that may be caused by impacted teeth occur.
