Your wisdom teeth are the very last adult teeth to come through, right at the back of the mouth. While an additional four teeth are always welcome, they aren’t necessary for chewing or speaking. Because they come through so late, they can cause problems with overcrowding, and it’s quite common for people to need wisdom teeth removed in Oshawa.
Is It Always Necessary to Remove Wisdom Teeth?
No, many people have wisdom teeth that come through without any problems. If your wisdom teeth are yet to erupt, we monitor them carefully during your dental checkups at Margolian Dentistry. Regular digital dental x-rays allow us to assess each wisdom tooth’s position and predict if they are likely to cause problems.
Your wisdom teeth will not need to be removed if they are in the right position and are healthy and are not interfering with your bite or causing problems with overcrowding. You also don’t need to get wisdom teeth removed if they can be thoroughly cleaned during your daily oral care routine.
When Is It Necessary to Have Wisdom Teeth Removed?
If we do recommend removing your wisdom teeth, it could be due to various reasons. Sometimes wisdom teeth will only partially emerge, so they remain partly covered by the gum. These wisdom teeth can be very difficult to clean thoroughly and are more at risk of getting infected or decayed or causing gum disease. Other times, wisdom teeth are impacted, meaning they cannot emerge properly and are stuck underneath the gums. There is the risk that these wisdom teeth could become infected or cause a cyst that could damage your jawbone or other teeth.
Often, wisdom teeth will begin to crowd the adjacent teeth because there isn’t enough room in the jawbone for them to erupt fully. When this happens, they could potentially damage these adjacent teeth.
Signs Your Wisdom Teeth Need Extracting
There are some symptoms caused by problematic wisdom teeth and could indicate they need to be removed. One sign is pain right at the back of your mouth caused when your wisdom teeth try to come through. Sometimes this pain is persistent, or it may come and go. You might be able to see the gum around your wisdom teeth has become swollen and tender, so it looks red and inflamed.
Inflamed gums will often bleed when you brush your teeth, and this can also happen as your wisdom teeth try to erupt. If wisdom teeth try to come through into a crowded jawbone, they can change the way your teeth bite together as other teeth become overcrowded and are forced out of place. Some people may notice their jaw feels painful or stiff, and if you have this symptom, it’s important to see a dentist in Whitby as soon as possible. The pain can radiate outwards, causing headaches or earache.
What to Expect When Wisdom Teeth Are Removed?
If you need your wisdom teeth removed, there is no need to worry as we will make sure the process is as comfortable as possible, numbing the area thoroughly before we remove the tooth. Extracting a tooth is usually quite a quick process. However, if the wisdom tooth is impacted and still stuck in the jaw, our dentist in Ajax may cut it into several smaller pieces to make it easier to remove through a smaller opening. There might be some minor discomfort once the local anesthetic wears off, but you should be able to control this easily with over-the-counter pain relief. Most people find healing after wisdom teeth removal is quick, relatively comfortable and uneventful.
