Many patients come to our clinic in Plymouth asking about the wisdom teeth, Do we always have to extract them? Do we all have wisdom teeth? How do I know if I have wisdom teeth? Is it true that it pushes my other teeth and moves them? Next, we are going to answer all these questions.
Well, the wisdom teeth or third molars are the last molars that appear in the mouth, these usually emerge between the ages of 15 and 25, they are located at the end of the dental arch. And these often have a different morphology from the other molars, presenting more or fewer roots and the size is usually smaller than the other molars.
Not all patients should have their wisdom teeth removed, the wisdom teeth will be left in the mouth if they are healthy and have come in correctly, that is, they have enough space to come out and occlude with the teeth of the opposite arch.
When do we have to extract the wisdom tooth?
- When we present pain.
- If confirmed symptoms of an infection around the wisdom tooth.
- If you have a cyst or tumor around the area.
- When it damages neighboring molars causing cavities or gingivitis due to being impacted or growing at an angle that is not correct.
- If there is gingivitis or periodontitis.
- When the wisdom tooth has a fairly large cavity.
- If they are found badly positioned or at an angle that is not correct within the dental arch, as it could affect the rest of the teeth.
- When they don’t have space to emerge properly because the jaw is not large enough for them to emerge properly.
- When the wisdom teeth do not fully erupt and remain semi included largely covered by gingiva, as this would cause a infection in the area due to the accumulation of food.
- For orthodontic processIf it is necessary to create space to align the teeth during orthodontic treatment, the wisdom teeth will be extracted to make room for the other teeth.
Not all people have wisdom teeth, there are patients who are not trained. How can we know for sure? We can see the formation, angulation and eruption of our third molars by using x-raysLike orthopantomography, it is an X-ray of the entire mouth with which we can accurately see the evolution of the third molars.
There is a great controversy Due to the different studies carried out on whether the wisdom teeth when they have a bad position and a bad angulation when wanting to emerge can Push neighboring teeth and create a certain crowding to the rest of the teeth, but there are no definitive studies that clarify this, so there are different opinions from dentists since there is no evidence of this.
What can happen is that when the third molar is formed, it reabsorbs the root of the adjacent tooth, generating a lesion, this process is called radicular reabsorption.
Therefore, it is advisable that before making any decision about your wisdom teeth you go to your dentist in Plymouth to have a assessment of your wisdom teeth and tell you if it is better to proceed with their extraction or leave them in the mouth and carry out another treatment, since there are many reasons to extract them, but there are also others why their extraction is not necessary. If you have pain or you are not sure which is the best treatment for your wisdom teeth Do not hesitate to contact us, At Smile Care Plymouth we will be happy to advise you on the best treatment.
