Wisdom Teeth

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Wisdom Teeth

What are wisdom teeth?

Your wisdom teeth are the last adult teeth to form. In total there are four wisdom teeth, which fit at the back of your mouth and usually come through your gums when you are in your late teens or early 20s.

For some, wisdom teeth can cause complications or pain as they struggle to come through the gum. This usually occurs when there isn't enough space in the jaw, or when the teeth are growing at an angle pushing on or getting stuck against other teeth , which is when they are then identified as impacted wisdom teeth.

Impacted wisdom teeth affect almost 75 per cent of people in their 20s in the UK .

Wisdom teeth are the third set of molars (the big teeth towards the back of your mouth that you use for chewing food), which are first developed at the age of 6 or 7 and the second set between 11 and 13. Before your late teens, two more molars usually develop on both sides of your upper and lower jaw, although some people will go through their whole life without any wisdom teeth forming

In order to find out whether or nor your wisdom teeth are impacted, you should visit your dentist for an x-ray check-up of your teeth. A dentist can also give you the best advice on whether or not your wisdom teeth should be removed, which will depend on how much pain or damage is being caused to the surrounding t eeth. Removing wisdom teeth can be a very painful process with risks involved.

What are the symptoms?

• Tender and painful gums and jaw
• Swelling or redness in the gums
• A nasty taste in the mouth when you bite in the area of the wisdom teeth
• Bad breath
• Headaches
• More rare cases involve: symptoms include swollen glands in the neck or problems opening your mouth
  
  

Partially or completely Impacted?

Wisdom teeth may be completely impacted (they are hidden below the gum), or they may be partially impacted (part of the tooth appears above the gum). Both forms usually cause some pain at least, although slight pain or unpleasant feelings can still be experienced even when a wisdom tooth is not impacted (comes through with ease).

To try relieving some of the short-term pain, try using a mouthwash of lukewarm, salty water, or painkillers such as paracetamol or Aspirin. Good dental hygiene is vital as infections can develop when the teeth are coming out, but if symptoms and pain persist then you should consult your dentist.

Problems caused

Some people may find their impacted wisdom teeth give them no problems, while others may suffer from headaches and slight pain to swelling, infection and even tooth decay.

Impacted wisdom teeth that cause problems are usually in the lower jaw rather than the upper jaw. The following is a list of the most common problems experienced:

Infection: The gum area that surrounds your impacted wisdom teeth may become infected – one of the main problems caused by impacted wisdom teeth. According to recent dental studies, you are more likely to get an infection if your wisdom teeth are partially impacted (part of the tooth appears above the gum).

An infection can develop in areas that are hard to keep clean, such as the flap of gum where the wisdom tooth has partly come through.

An infection can spread to your cheek, neck or jawbone and even produce an abscess (area of infected pus in the gum), which may need to be drained. Antibiotics are generally used to help treat an infection and a wisdom tooth should only be removed if it causes more than one infection to occur.

Decay: Impacted wisdom teeth that are not kept clean can lead to tooth decay and cavities (holes in the tooth). Your dentist may not be able to fill the cavity in a wisdom tooth, or you may keep getting cavities, which may lead to having your wisdom tooth/teeth removed, although any final decision will be given by your dentist.

Tooth damage: Wisdom teeth may make it difficult for you to keep nearby teeth clean and can also push surrounding teeth out of position when pushing through. This can damage the roots of these teeth. Wisdom teeth can also cause gum disease that spreads to the teeth around them due to the difficulty involved in cleaning them.

Cysts : (a sac filled with fluid) – can damage your jawbone or nearby teeth and can even (very rarely) develop into a form of cancer.

Teeth overcrowding: Wisdom teeth may press on other teeth. Some dentists worry this could make your front teeth look crooked and change your 'bite'. However, researchers say that any crowding caused by wisdom teeth is not normally a problem. It shouldn't affect the appearance of your teeth or your bite.

Methods of treatment

Impacted wisdom teeth are normally removed in a dental surgery under local anaesthetic, but on some occasions general anaesthetic may be used. Over 50,000 operations of such type are carried out each year and involve cutting through the gum in order to break the tooth into pieces and remove it.

Once the operation has taken place you may experience slight bleeding, swelling and pain, which should recede after a few days.

However, it is important to be aware that an operation can occasionally lead to more serious complications, such as dry socket. Problems that occur post-surgery are more common if you are over 24 years-old at the time of the operation.