Your dentist in Oshawa says your wisdom teeth need to come out, but they are not causing you any pain, so is treatment necessary? In the past, many people had their wisdom teeth removed, almost like a rite of passage. While wisdom tooth removal is a standard procedure here at Margolian Dentistry, we won’t recommend extracting these teeth unless we see they will cause your problems. Unfortunately, this might be the case even though they seem fine and are not causing pain or discomfort.

Potential Problems Caused by Wisdom Teeth

Often, because wisdom teeth are the last to come through, there is insufficient room for them to erupt fully. The jaw may be too small to accommodate them. When this happens, wisdom teeth can try to push through under the adjacent teeth, potentially harming these teeth and causing pain and discomfort. They may try to push through sideways or partially erupt, remaining partly covered by gum tissue. When this happens, wisdom teeth can be very tricky to keep clean thoroughly as the flap of gum can easily trap food particles and plaque bacteria. Consequently, these teeth have a greater risk of becoming infected and decayed.

Also, when a wisdom tooth only partly erupts and remains covered with some gum tissue, the gum around the tooth can become infected and inflamed with a condition called pericoronitis in Ajax. Pericoronitis can mean it is painful to bite down on the affected tooth because of the swollen gum. You might also notice you have an unpleasant taste or persistent bad breath. More severe symptoms can include facial swelling, and it can affect the lymph nodes. In addition, a nasty infection can spread into the throat and neck, impacting your breathing and ability to swallow. Sometimes it is possible to remove the gum tissue, allowing the wisdom tooth to erupt fully, but other times the tooth will need extracting.

Preventive Measures

As your wisdom teeth develop, we can monitor their location in your jaw using digital dental x-rays in Whitby. These x-rays will show if the teeth are impacted or stuck in the jaw and cannot erupt properly or perhaps only partially erupt. We’d much rather remove wisdom teeth before they cause you any pain or discomfort when this is the case.

What to Expect When You Have a Wisdom Tooth Removed?

Whether you have a wisdom tooth that we can see will not erupt properly or already have wisdom teeth that are causing problems, we can make sure these teeth are removed as comfortably as possible. Before treatment, our dentist will discuss the procedure and check your dental and medical history to ensure nothing could affect this procedure. Margolian Dentistry can make sure the entire process is pain-free, using local anesthetic or sedation dentistry if required.

When a wisdom tooth extraction is straightforward, it is quite quick, but if a wisdom tooth is severely impacted, it can take a bit longer because the tooth is stuck in the jaw. In this case, one possible technique is to expose the tooth by making a small opening in the gum and bone before cutting or sectioning the tooth into smaller pieces, making it easier to remove comfortably.

After wisdom tooth treatment is complete, it’s not uncommon to have little or no pain, but you may notice some mild discomfort and swelling. It usually takes several weeks for the mouth to heal completely. However, there is no need to worry as we can give you full instructions on how to look after your mouth, including which foods to eat, and of course, we are always here to help you if you need further advice.