Wisdom teeth are the last teeth in the back of your mouth. It is common for wisdom teeth to cause pain and other problems, because there usually is not enough room in the mouth for them to come in properly. As a result, a dentist usually removes your wisdom teeth.
What are Wisdom Teeth?
Wisdom teeth are the third molars in the back of your mouth. These teeth are the last adult teeth to emerge. Most often, people have four wisdom teeth: two on the top and two on the bottom. Wisdom teeth usually appear in young adults between the ages of 15 to 25. In most people, the mouth is too small to allow these teeth to emerge completely without knocking the other teeth out of alignment. If wisdom teeth are allowed to come in, they often cause pain. Most people have a dentist remove their wisdom teeth.
Cause of Pain
When wisdom teeth cannot emerge properly, they can become impacted. If the crown of the tooth is visible, it is partially impacted; if the tooth never emerges at all, it is fully impacted. Impacted wisdom teeth can cause pain. When impacted, the tooth can grow at an angle toward the tooth in front or toward the back of the mouth, it can grow perpendicular to the other teeth, or it can grow straight up but be stuck in the jawbone.
Symptoms
Aside from pain, impacted wisdom teeth can cause other dental problems. Wisdom teeth can damage other teeth if they push against the second molars. Wisdom teeth grow within a sac, which can fill with fluid and form a cyst that can damage your teeth, jawbone and nerves. Partially impacted teeth are more susceptible to decay because food can get trapped easily between the tooth and your gum. Because wisdom teeth are harder to clean, that area of your mouth becomes more likely to develop pericoronitis, a painful gum disease.
Treatment
After giving you anesthesia, your dentist makes an incision to remove any gum tissue covering the tooth. She then detaches the connective tissue between the bone and tooth, removing the tooth and suturing the gumline. You go home after the procedure, with instructions on how to properly care for the wound.
Asymptomatic Wisdom Teeth
Many people have impacted wisdom teeth that do not cause pain or other symptoms. There are differing views on how to treat these cases, but some dentists recommend removal of these wisdom teeth to prevent future pain and dental problems, as well as gum disease and cavities.
