With age comes wisdom, but many people don’t enjoy the emergence of their wisdom teeth. While preventing tooth loss is one of the primary goals of dentistry, it is sometimes necessary to remove teeth to preserve the health of the rest of the mouth. Here’s a brief guide to why wisdom teeth often need to be removed including a few of the complications they can cause and an overview of a typical extraction procedure.
Why Do We Have Wisdom Teeth?
In the days before people figured out how to cook their food, humans subsisted on a diet largely consisting of raw meat and plant matter. Without modern cooking processes to break their meals down, people needed more grinding power to chew these tougher items. In those times, the wisdom teeth served to pulverize fibrous meats and vegetables into an easily digestible pulp.
During the thousands of years that have passed since then, food preparation techniques have made food much easier to eat, leading to jawbones becoming smaller and not having enough room to host the wisdom teeth. Interestingly, some research suggests that children eating a tougher, more fibrous diet may make them less likely to need wisdom teeth removal in the future.
What Harm Can Wisdom Teeth Do?
If the mouth does not have enough room to accommodate the wisdom teeth, these third molars can push the other teeth out of alignment as they emerge, leading to crowding and chronic pain and potentially ruining the results of previous orthodontic treatments. In some cases, the wisdom teeth fail to emerge from the gums completely, creating pockets within the soft tissue that can host harmful oral bacteria and increase a person’s risk of infection. However, some people will not need wisdom tooth extraction if they have enough room for them or were born without them.
How Does Wisdom Tooth Extraction Work?
Once you and your dentist have determined that wisdom tooth extraction is best for you, your dentist will administer an appropriate anesthetic treatment to ensure your comfort. They will then use a tool called an elevator to lift the wisdom tooth out of the gum so they can grasp it with forceps and gently rock it back and forth until it comes loose from the connective tissues. If the wisdom tooth has not emerged from the gums completely, incisions may be made during the procedure, and the tooth may be broken into small pieces for removal if it is especially large.
The best way to ensure a speedy recovery after wisdom tooth extraction is to strictly follow your dentist’s postoperative instructions. If your dentist recommends removing your wisdom teeth, you can rest assured that it is the best way to preserve your oral health.
About the Author
Dr. Aarati Kalluri earned her Doctor of Dental Surgery at the University of California in San Francisco where she was inducted into the honor society Omicron Kappa Upsilon based on her clinical and academic achievements. She also participates in various local study clubs in the Portland area to stay abreast of the latest developments in dentistry. Her office in Hillsboro offers general, restorative, cosmetic, and emergency dentistry as well as wisdom tooth extractions. If you are concerned about your wisdom teeth, contact her office online or dial (503) 352-5116.