Let’s Know About Your Wisdom Teeth
If your wisdom teeth are coming through, it can be a painful process. You might wonder why it is happening since it brings so much suffering. This article contains everything you need to know about your wisdom teeth – including why they are such a literal pain in the neck.
At What Age Do Wisdom Teeth Grow?
If there is one set of teeth whose growth is likely to cause you pain, it is your wisdom teeth. These molars come in last, usually between the ages of 17-21. They often arrive into a mouth already filled with teeth.
Often, there is no room for them to grow. This leads to a buildup of bacteria in and around the gums where they grow. As you can imagine, this can be painful and cause problems with the other molars.
What are Wisdom Teeth?
Your wisdom teeth come in after all the others. They are the last teeth in the mouth. They grow at either end of your jaw on the top and bottom rows of teeth.
Modern medicine deduces that our cave-dwelling ancestors required wisdom teeth to grind the nuts and grains of their plant-based diets. 2000+ years later, food has evolved.
We no longer need this extra set of molars. As such, the modern dentist prefers to remove them rather than letting them cause potential problems later in the patient’s life.
Why Do We Call Them Wisdom Teeth?
That’s a great question. Why do people call them wisdom teeth? It’s certainly not because they make us any cleverer. In fact, the term comes from the fact that they grow last.
The name assumes that the patient is wiser than they were when the rest of their teeth grew in. By then, we are restricting the sugary foods which hurt our baby teeth.
Why Do Dentists Extract Wisdom Teeth?
There are different reasons why your dentist might want to remove your wisdom teeth. They may be growing towards your other molars because there is not enough space in your mouth.
This can cause them to become ‘impacted’. This means they will erupt slightly above the gum, then put pressure on the other molars as they grow in facing the wrong direction.
When this happens, the wisdom teeth are at risk of infection and cysts developing along the gumline. Plaque can form a biofilm over the impacted wisdom teeth. Eventually, this will affect the roots of the teeth, leading to the nerves and to the teeth next door.
Fortunately, you don’t need to suffer this. Dental Krafts can perform flawless wisdom tooth extraction that takes the pain of impacted wisdom teeth away. Removal of the teeth prevents plaque buildup. This stops gum disease in its tracks.
What Happens During Wisdom Tooth Extraction?
Your dental surgery will offer you a choice in sedation techniques. If it is a quick removal, a local anesthetic will numb the area. If there are serious complications, your dentist may want to sedate you.
However, they sedate you; they will make a small incision at the base of the tooth. From there, they will locate the nerve and sever it. They will remove the pieces of teeth, then allow you to recover. They are likely to prescribe pain medications to help you heal.
How Long does it Take to Recover from Wisdom tooth Extraction?
It can take up to two weeks to recover from a wisdom tooth extraction. This is how long it will take for your gums to heal and the incision to close over.
During this time, you will have to be careful about how you eat and drink. Stick to foods you don’t have to chew to avoid accidentally hurting yourself.
What Could Go Wrong with Wisdom Tooth Extraction Recovery?
Although most patients heal quickly and without issue, some can pick up an infection. This usually happens to smokers if they fail to listen to the dentist’s instructions in caring for their recovering mouths.
Smoking introduces dirt into the wounded area, which can easily cause an infection or a condition we call a ‘dry socket.’
A dry socket happens within 3-5 days of your tooth extraction. Although more typical in general tooth extraction than with wisdom teeth, this condition causes intense pain around the site of the removal. Your dentist can prescribe pain medications to help with the recovery process.
Do I Need to Get my Wisdom Teeth Removed?
You can choose not to have the surgery, but this can lead to complications later in your life. Wisdom teeth get a biofilm which can damage them over time. This decay is harder to reach than it is in normal teeth. If your wisdom teeth become impacted, the damage could be hidden beneath the surface of your gums.
Wrap-Up
Keeping your mouth healthy is an important part of your overall health. Trust your dentist to safely remove your wisdom teeth so you can stay pain-free.
Photo by Esma Karagoz
Photo by Tomaz Barcellos
