When wisdom teeth aren’t coming through the gums properly, or when there isn’t enough space for them, significant pain, infection, and sometimes damage to adjacent teeth can result.
The pain that results from wisdom teeth not fitting in the mouth is the main worry for patients. This pain can be caused by infection around the gums of the tooth, decay or cavities forming in the tooth, or by the wisdom tooth ‘eating away’ the tooth in front as it doesn’t have space to erupt into the mouth. Most people have four wisdom teeth and if there is not enough space for the teeth to come through the gums they become wedged or impacted.
If the wisdom teeth are difficult or complicated to remove, the dentist may refer you to an oral and maxillofacial surgeon.
If left untreated, these issues can spread and cause problems much greater than they started – infected wisdom teeth can often lead to patients having to go to hospital for emergency treatment.
The dentist may recommend early removal of one or more wisdom teeth. If the patient is young early removal is recommended as the tooth’s roots have not formed totally, and the bone surrounding the tooth is softer. This allows for easier removal of the tooth and less risk of damage to the nerves, bone and other teeth. Some wisdom teeth may never cause t rouble and may not need to be removed. The decision to remove teeth is always left to you with consultation.
If you or the dentist believe that your wisdom teeth require surgical removal under anesthetic, we can arrange for you to see a specialist Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon for a consultation. We also maintain very close relationships with several Newcastle specialist Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons who can extract wisdom teeth that pose a high risk to the patient, or to those with certain medical conditions.
