Tag Archives: Impacted Wisdom Teeth

Emergency Dentist

Do You Remove Wisdom Teeth Before or After They are Bothering You?

I am one of those lucky people with four impacted wisdom teeth. Only one of them is bothering me at the moment and I’m going to get it extracted. My dentist asked if I wanted to extract all of them or just the one and something about my age being an issue. I’m 27.  However, he did mention that one of them has a root that goes past a nerve, which means there is a slight chance of nerve damage.

My dentist gave me three options. I could leave the other wisdom teeth until they started bothering me. I could remove all of them. I could remove all of them, but for the one near the nerve I could remove the tooth part, leaving the root and hope it doesn’t get infected. Then, if it does get infected I will have to go back to get the rest.

Is there a best way to handle this?

Samantha

Dear Samantha,

Image of impacted wisdom teeth
Types of impacted wisdom teeth.

 

I’m glad that you wrote. Your age is a factor in how you handle this. While you are relatively young, as you are currently, it is much easier to remove wisdom teeth. Once you hit thirty, your chances of complications double. They double again every few years after that as well.  This is because the bone becomes less pliable and cementum builds up at the roots.

If your wisdom teeth were not impacted, I would say leave them be. However, when it comes to impacted wisdom teeth, it is not a matter of if they give you a problem, but when. Because of that I recommend doing it now before they become a problem. The last thing you want is a dental emergency while dealing with this, especially when you get a few years older.

I like your dentist’s idea of leaving the root, but don’t have him leave the whole root. Tell him just to leave the very tip. If it is a small piece, your body will often not have an issue with it, therefore you will have less of a chance of developing an infection.

I hope this helps with your decision. Click here to learn about sedation options for your procedure.

This blog is brought to you by Lafayette, LA Dentists Drs. Foremen and Thimmesch.

Invisalign

Bottom middle tooth getting crooked?

I’m a 21 year old male and I never had braces, last time I visited a dentist was about 3 years ago. I never really had crooked teeth but within the last few weeks I noticed my bottom middle tooth getting crooked. I’m really insecure about it. I never had my wisdom teeth removed but I feel no pain or anything. All my teeth seem fine just this tooth. I have no lumps or anything on my gums and I brush my teeth daily.

Thanks, Tim

Dear Tim,

It sounds like your wisdom teeth may be the reasoning for your front tooth to shift. Most people nowadays get their wisdom teeth removed from the ages of 16 into their early 20’s. Over the years dentist have come to realize that wisdom teeth left in can cause gum disease issues with the back molars due to the fact that they are hard to keep clean. Another reason to extract wisdom teeth is that most people don’t have enough room in their mouth for them which can cause the teeth to shift. We recommend you visit your dentist for an evaluation to see if your wisdom teeth are the reason for your shifting tooth. If that’s the case it may be wise to have them extracted to prevent further shifting. After your wisdom teeth are removed you have the option to get clear braces like Invisalign to straighten out your bottom tooth and make you feel comfortable again.

Post courtesy of Dr. Malone, Lafayette Louisiana Cosmetic Dentist