Exposing 5 myths about wisdom teeth

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Are these teeth problematic or are they the same as the rest? Do I need to get rid of them as soon as they appear? Let's analyze the most popular misconceptions associated with wisdom teeth.

The tooth of wisdom - from the name it blows with something from the category of mysticism. But there is nothing mystical about them - these are just teeth that erupt much later than others, and not in childhood. Dentists call them third molars and eights. In fact, this is a rudiment inherited from our ancestors, whose jaws were noticeably wider.

There are many misconceptions associated with these teeth.

Myth 1. Wisdom teeth begin to cut in adolescence

As a rule, this is not the case: the eruption of wisdom teeth begins most often at the age of 18-25. Why? The fact is that these teeth, unlike the others, are not formed during intrauterine development, but at 3-5 years. If you take a child to a pediatric dentist during this period, he will even be able to determine how many wisdom teeth he will have in the future.

At the same time, the formation of the coronal part of the eights occurs by about 12 years (that is, when most children already have a change in their milk bite for a permanent one). However, the roots of wisdom teeth continue their formation, and sometimes even after eruption.

Moreover, 10-15% of people do not have eights at all. These lucky ones never experience any unpleasant sensations when teething and spend their whole lives with a set of 28 teeth. Moreover, different people may have a different number of wisdom teeth. That is why the presence of 28–32 teeth is considered the norm.

Myth 2. Any unpleasant sensations with the appearance of wisdom teeth must be endured

For almost all people, this process is accompanied by discomfort, and rarely anyone can boast that they have not experienced any painful sensations. This is due to the fact that eights do not have dairy "predecessors".

Difficulty erupting a wisdom tooth often occurs due to various pathologies, and in this case, you need to consult a doctor. But how can an ordinary person distinguish between normal and difficult eruptions? Indeed, most often, any appearance of the figure eight is accompanied by an increase in temperature by 1-2 degrees, pain in the jaw and when swallowing, inflammation of the gums and even the submandibular lymph nodes.

If you experience very acute pain in the gums and jaw, discharge of blood and pus from the gums, swelling of the cheek, and the lips and tongue are injured, then you do not need to endure this - you should immediately consult a doctor. Such symptoms indicate a pathological eruption of the figure eight.

In any case, only a dentist can determine whether a normal or pathological eruption of a wisdom tooth occurs in your case. The sooner he identifies the problem, the easier it will be to solve it.

Myth 3. Wisdom teeth should always be removed, it is better as soon as they appear

Third molars or eights may not differ in any way from ordinary teeth, do not interfere with chewing food and generally not show themselves in any way. But alas, pathologies of wisdom teeth are quite common, which is why certain measures have to be taken. If a tooth has erupted normally, does not press or displace adjacent teeth, does not interfere with chewing food, then it can be used in the same way as all other teeth.

Still, there are pathologies in which the removal of wisdom teeth is necessary. In total, there are three types of them.

Dystopia

Incorrect positioning in relation to the entire dentition. Since such eights can harm other teeth, the doctor almost always recommends their removal. They can protrude forward or backward relative to the rest of the teeth, or even turn around their axis.

Retention

Teeth hidden in the soft or bone tissues of the jaw. The retention can be complete or partial, that is, the tooth may not erupt completely or remain in a hidden position and also deviate back or forward. This is dangerous because during teething, pericoronoritis can develop - inflammation of the gums due to the accumulation of bacteria.

Mixed pathology

It is a combination of dystopia and retention. A tooth can be placed at an angle to the rest of the teeth, lie horizontally or even turn upside down - its crown will be at the bottom and the root at the top. These are the most difficult cases that can provoke various types of purulent inflammatory processes: abscesses, osteomyelitis and phlegmon.

In all these cases, the wisdom tooth will have to be removed.

Myth 4. Removing wisdom teeth is always long, painful and scary

The doctor chooses the method of tooth extraction depending on the problem with which you turned to him. At the same time, modern dentistry will always provide pain relief and will try to minimize both painful sensations and your discomfort.

Removing the figure eight does not always require complex manipulations: if the surgeon is not dealing with a dystopic, impacted tooth and not with a complex pathology, then forceps will be enough for him. In this case, you will be given an injection of pain reliever, and then your doctor will remove your wisdom tooth. This lasts from one to several minutes.

After removal, you should not eat for two hours, during the day do not eat hot and do not touch the hole with your tongue. You need to chew on the opposite side, and rinse your mouth very carefully. Often, after the removal of wisdom teeth, the temperature rises and edema occurs, and therefore the doctor prescribes drug therapy. Take the remedies prescribed by him, follow the recommendations for care, and then the unpleasant symptoms will go away in 5-7 days.

But if your figure eight is dystoped, retinated, and so on, then it will take much more effort to get rid of it. To begin with, an x-ray is taken, the mouth is sanitized. Vitamins and sedatives may be prescribed before removing the impacted tooth.

Then, after anesthesia, the doctor cuts and removes the soft tissues aside (in modern dentistry this is done using a laser), then he prepares the bone with a drill to gain access to the tooth, and removes it from the gums in whole or in pieces. Then he puts the gum flap back in place, applies sutures and an anti-inflammatory dressing.

Recovery takes about two weeks. The doctor prescribes vitamins, anti-inflammatory and pain relievers to reduce swelling, fever, and pain. You also need to follow simple rules:

• do not remove the bandage for half an hour;
• do not eat for three hours after surgery;
• apply cold compresses for 1-2 days;
• refuse solid, spicy and hot foods during the healing period;
• refuse physical activity, visit the pool and sauna;
• chew food on the other side of the mouth.

Myth 5. Wisdom teeth never heal - they are removed immediately

It is not always necessary to delete the eights immediately. They are quite treatable, and if the tooth is normally located, does not interfere with you and does not harm the neighboring teeth, then it can be saved. Although it is important to understand: such teeth are more prone to caries, because they are located deep in the jaw and it is much more difficult to clean them properly than other teeth. Sometimes the brush just can't fit into a tight space. Also, if a part of the tooth remains under the gum, then a gingival hood is formed, where food particles enter, which increases the destruction of the tooth.

Another feature of wisdom teeth is that very often caries on them does not make itself felt for a long time, and if you do not go to the doctor for a preventive examination every six months, then you may well miss the onset of the disease and find it already when it has already become deep caries or pulpitis.

However, if the tooth erupted without pathologies and caries was detected at an early stage, then the dentist may well save the eight. This is also done if the wisdom tooth will be used for prosthetics.

There may be several reasons for removing a caries-affected wisdom tooth:

• the tooth is badly damaged and at the same time is located so far and uncomfortable that it is very difficult to carry out high-quality treatment;
• high risk of secondary caries;
• eights are distinguished by strongly curved canals, which makes endodontic treatment extremely difficult;
• the absence of an antagonist tooth, that is, a tooth that is located above the one that is affected by caries. If there is no antagonist tooth, then the chewing load will be unevenly distributed.

conclusions

Let's summarize briefly.

• Although wisdom teeth are actually a rudiment, they can erupt without a problem. Moreover, they will be no different from the rest of the teeth.
• Their eruption is very often accompanied by unpleasant sensations, and if the pain is too strong, the temperature rises, there is a discharge of blood and pus, then it is better to consult a doctor.
• It is necessary to remove the eights in case of pathological eruption: dystopic, impacted, or in the presence of mixed pathology.
• Depending on the complexity of the case, the dental surgeon will choose the appropriate method for removing the wisdom tooth. After that, you should follow the doctor's recommendations and drink the medications prescribed by him - then the rehabilitation period will pass quickly and less unpleasantly.
• But it is far from always necessary to remove wisdom teeth: if they do not interfere with anything and cut through normally, then they can be treated. Although the eights are more susceptible to caries and on them it often appears again.