Wisdom teeth come through much later in life then other adult teeth, which can cause issues when they do. Your dentist may recommend the removal one or more wisdom teeth if there is lack of room in the mouth, or the teeth are coming through at an odd angle. Fortunately, this is a very common procedure and there is no need for concern.
If you’re experiencing discomfort due to your wisdom teeth, contact the experienced team at Dental on Beams for assistance on 07 3862 8300 or book online.
Wisdom teeth reside in the four back corners of your mouth. They usually erupt at a later date to that of your other adult teeth, often around the ages of 17 to 25 and can cause discomfort. If there is a lack of room in the mouth, or the teeth come through at an odd angle, problems can arise.
Why should I remove my wisdom teeth?
Lack of room in the mouth
Coming through at an odd angle
Partially erupted (causes infection)
Partially erupted or misaligned wisdom teeth can also lead to recurring infections and damage to the surrounding teeth and jaw.
The removal of wisdom teeth is a very common procedure. In most cases our experienced dentists can remove problematic wisdom teeth. Certain cases may be referred to a specialist dentist, to ensure the best result and your comfort.
How are they removed?
The first step is to take an OPG x-ray to establish the position of your wisdom teeth, and to determine if they need to be removed. Wisdom teeth removal is a very common dental procedure. In most cases our experienced dentists will remove any problematic wisdom teeth at our clinic.
Certain more complicated cases may be referred to a specialist to ensure the best result and your comfort. For your convenience, we have a specialist dentist visit our dental surgery on occasion.
We also understand that the idea of this procedure may be stressful for some patients. If you’d prefer to be put to sleep with a general anaesthetic for the procedure, we can assist in arranging this.
Wisdom Teeth Complications
Wisdom tooth pain can occur when there is a lack of room in the mouth or if the tooth comes through at an odd angle. Partially erupted or misaligned wisdom teeth can also lead to recurring infections and damage to the surrounding teeth and jaw. Complications can include:
Tooth Pain
The eruption of wisdom teeth is often heralded by pain in the back of the mouth. It can be mild and intermittent, lasting for a few days and then subsiding. It can happen on and off for weeks or even years. If the pain becomes unbearable, and talking and eating become too difficult, please book in to see your dentist. This can be due to the erupting teeth pressing into the nerves in your mouth.
Redness and Swelling
Erupting wisdom teeth can also be signalled by swelling and redness in the gums around the area.
Shifting teeth
Wisdom teeth can be bullies. If there isn’t enough space for them in your mouth, they will still erupt and shift other teeth out of their way, leading to misaligned and crooked teeth. If your dentist thinks your mouth won’t be able to accommodate the arrival of your wisdom teeth, they will often advise removal ahead of time to negate this issue.
Impacted Tooth
Sometimes wisdom teeth can be stopped from erupting by your jawbone or other teeth, which causes them to be “trapped” beneath the gum line. This can cause pain and will need to be attended to by a dentist.
An x-ray will show any issues with impacted teeth ahead of time and your dentist will often advise the remove any impacted wisdom teeth before they begin to erupt so you don’t experience this discomfort.
Oral Infections
As your wisdom teeth emerge and break through the gum, bacteria can get trapped and cause infection. Signs of an infection include:
Swelling
Redness
Pain
Tenderness in your jaw
Bad breath
A foul taste
Cavities
Food can become trapped around your emerging back molars, which can lead to cavities. Cavities can also develop in the teeth in front of your back molars when there isn’t room to properly brush or floss. Make sure to brush and floss thoroughly around the area when your wisdom teeth begin to erupt.
Should wisdom teeth be removed if they aren’t causing problems?
If your wisdom teeth aren’t causing any noticeable pain or discomfort, then they can simply be monitored with your twice yearly dental check-ups. At your general appointments, we can check to see if they’re erupting and if they’re likely to cause problems at a later point.
Due to the fact that they generally emerge around that time of life when we’re sitting for high school or university exams, it can be a wise option to have them removed before they are causing issues to avoid complications when you need to be studying.
Did you know we have flexible payment options available? You can pay for your weekday and Saturday dental treatment with Zip, Afterpay or National Dental Plan. Dental treatments are important to your overall health, and it’s best to get that toothache sorted as soon as possible. With ZipPay, AfterPay and National Dental Plan, the benefits include: .
We accept all major private health funds and offer on the spot claiming with HICAPS. We are proud to be Preferred Providers for the following health funds, meaning our patients have access to the highest rebates possible! Find out more…
We’d love to talk to you further about the treatments options at our practice. To make an appointment please call 07 3862 8300 or book online.
