A lucky few of us are blessed enough to have wisdom teeth that emerge normally and without complications. Most of us, however, experience some unwanted side effects, and even serious oral health problems, when our wisdom teeth start to come in.
Our Tinley Park wisdom tooth dentists have seen first-hand how much damage untreated wisdom teeth can do. That’s why we encourage all of our patients to undergo wisdom tooth assessments, and to seek prompt treatment if necessary. Keep reading to learn more!
Our wisdom teeth are the last of our teeth to come in—they usually start to emerge in a patient’s late teens or early twenties. The problem with this is that all of the patient’s other teeth are already in place. And, very few people have enough room in their mouths for wisdom teeth fully emerge.
Wisdom teeth are probably an evolutionary remnant; at one point humans may have needed these teeth in order to derive nutrients for food, but now they’re pretty much obsolete.
So, rather than wisdom teeth popping through your gum line like other teeth, they often get stuck, or impacted, in the jawbone tissue. They may also start to come in at horizontal or diagonal angles.
When wisdom teeth star to emerge, you may notice a feeling of tightness or sensitivity in the back of your smile. Also, the breaks and tears in the gum tissue around wisdom teeth become prime spots in which oral bacteria accumulate. Because this area of your smile is so difficult to clean, untreated wisdom teeth increase a patient’s risk of developing cavities as well as gum disease.
Additionally, wisdom teeth that start to come in irregularly can actually put pressure on the patient’s existing smile. This can cause the patient’s smile to shift and become crowded.
The best way to avoid these issues is to seek prompt wisdom tooth removal. Sometimes our dentists are able to simply pull wisdom teeth, as we pull any other teeth. However, in many cases we need to go into the jaw and gum tissue in order to surgically remove impacted teeth. We’ll be able to give you a better idea of what type of treatment you may require when you come in for an assessment.
If you want any additional information about wisdom tooth removal, our Orland Park dentists are here to help! Give us a call to get started!