🧠 WISDOM TEETH 🦷🤔

🧠 WISDOM TEETH 🦷

🤔 How do you know if your wisdom tooth needs to be removed?

🌱 Upright, fully erupted/exposed wisdom teeth (third molars) may generally be left alone as long as you can keep them clean. They may sometimes be indicated for removal if they are not serving any function (i.e. if there is no opposing tooth), or for orthodontic reasons.

🥊 Impacted wisdom teeth should generally be removed as they are practically impossible to keep clean. They tend to trap large amounts of food particles and cause a huge buildup of bacteria, which can lead to a host of problems, e.g. decay/gum infection of the wisdom tooth, or worse, the tooth in front 😱

🚇 Completely buried wisdom teeth with no communication to the oral environment may generally be left alone and monitored by periodic x-rays. In rare cases, a buried wisdom tooth may still be able to cause resorption of the roots of the second molar, or lead to formation of a dentigerous cyst or other pathological lesions.

😖 Pain is not a reliable indicator of whether a third molar should be removed! E.g. decay on the tooth in front/formation of cysts may not necessarily cause pain or any symptoms until their extent is rather severe 😥 Get checked .

*This post is not a substitute for a proper clinical examination. Every case is unique and there are exceptions to the above guidelines!

🥁Think you may have an impacted tooth? Be sure to have an oral and maxillofacial surgeon evaluate your teeth to avoid complications.