WISDOM TEETH? NOTHING WISE ABOUT THEM

Wisdom teeth are the most “defamed” molars which often give a lot of pain to our patients.
Let's try and understand what makes them so notorious.

What are wisdom teeth?

9 out of 10 people have wisdom teeth present, either inside the bone or fully erupted. We, humans, are destined to have three molars in each quadrant. Out of these, the last molar is referred to as “Wisdom teeth”. These teeth are the last permanent teeth to erupt in the oral cavity at the age of 18-25 yrs. So by that time, we mature. Hence the name.

How important is this “wisdom” for us?

Dr. Devika Dhavan, dentist in Gurgaon says “Wisdom tooth is now considered vestigial. In half of the human population, the eruption of these teeth is a problem. The reason being evolution. With ages and years, the difference in lifestyle as compared to our ancestors have lead to smaller jam sizes. This has given way to wisdom tooth problems. Due to the presence of less space or no space, our wisdom teeth don’t erupt. Nevertheless, they keep trying their best.”

Our food habits of eating cooked and processed food needs only two functional molars. Hereby, the function of third molars is becoming obsolete.
If you have a bigger jaw, then you are lucky. The eruption of these molars won't give you any problem

Wisdom tooth problem symptoms

1. Swelling at the end of your mouth.
2. Difficulty in opening mouth.
3. Bad breath
4. Pain at the angle of the jaw.
5. Pain radiating to your ears.
6. Pus discharge around the last molar.

What else is wrong with wisdom teeth?

As there is no room for wisdom teeth to develop and erupt properly, we often see them weirdly placed in horizontal or other rotated positions. These molars, therefore, remain either partially or fully impacted. Impacted molars never erupt.

How these affect the surrounding tissues?

The soreness around the impacted teeth is often the most common symptom that brings patients to the dentist. Improperly placed wisdom tooth leads to pocket formation around it. This pocket area harbours microorganisms and food particles which is the main cause of pain.

How to treat this problem?

It's important to spot the problem first to treat it. Therefore, a six monthly check up at our dental clinic in South Delhi helps you detect and foresee any such troubles.
Any delay in normal eruption of wisdom tooth is a hint of impacted teeth. Our centres are equipped with the full mouth x-ray machine( Orthopantograph) which captures the position of your wisdom teeth in relation to the jaw and other teeth.
Impacted wisdom teeth molar is advised extraction and curettage of the socket. Wisdom tooth extraction in Gurgaon is done by experienced oral surgeons.

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