Do you have a wisdom tooth, you have a problem!

Curiosities about wisdom teeth and when they should be extracted Oral and Dental Health Department Specialist Dt. We learnt from Enver Selman Sümer.

Stating that wisdom teeth, which are the last and third molars in our mouth, usually start to erupt between the ages of 17-25, Dt. Sümer said, “It is controversial whether these teeth should be left in the mouth or not. If they erupt in the correct position and do not damage the surrounding tissues, there is no harm in keeping this tooth in place. A tooth that is fused to the jawbone and detected to be in an abnormal position by X-ray may be decided to be extracted considering the damages it may cause in the future.”

WHEN SHOULD A WISDOM TOOTH BE EXTRACTED?

Caries: Saliva, bacteria and food particles accumulate in the socket opened by the newly emerging tooth and threaten both the wisdom tooth and the molar tooth next to it. It is very difficult to recognise and treat this type of caries at an early stage. Severe cases may occur, leading to pain, infection and abscesses.

Gum disease (pericoronitis): A partially erupted wisdom tooth develops a focus of infection in the gum, where bacteria and food debris are stored. This causes bad breath, pain, oedema and the inability to open the mouth fully. The infection can spread to the cheek and neck via the lymph. This infection-prone area around the wisdom tooth is a candidate to be easily infected every time.

Pressure Pain: If pressure is applied to neighbouring teeth during eruption, pain may also be felt due to compression. In some cases, this pressure leads to erosion.

Orthodontic Causes: Many young people undergo orthodontic treatment to correct crowding of their teeth. Since the eruption pressures of the wisdom teeth will be reflected on the other teeth, there will be a mobility in the other teeth and crowding may increase.

Prosthesis Related Causes: Wisdom teeth should be taken into account in a mouth where prosthesis planning is made. Because, after the wisdom tooth is extracted, it will be necessary to make a new prosthesis according to the changing mouth structure.

Cyst Formation: An impacted tooth causes a cyst; cyst causes bone destruction, jaw enlargement, displacement or damage to the surrounding teeth. To prevent bone destruction, the tooth should be extracted and the cyst should be cleaned.

The malposition of the tooth is a sufficient reason for infection alone. In such a case, pressure pain, gum problems and similar problems develop suddenly and unexpectedly.

Wisdom teeth are located in areas that are difficult to reach with brush and dental floss. Over time, bacteria, acids and food residues that cause decay accumulate in this area. If the tooth decays and is not repaired with a filling, it soon becomes inflamed.
Since it is difficult to keep these teeth clean, the accumulated bacteria and food residues cause bad breath odour.
An impacted tooth in a horizontal position under the gum creates pressure that causes the other teeth to move, tighten and become crooked.

Bacteria collected under the gum covering the impacted tooth cause infection.

WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO EXTRACT WISDOM TEETH?

A badly positioned tooth should be extracted between the ages of 14 and 22, whether or not it causes complaints. Younger operations are technically easier and recovery is quicker. Operations over 40 years of age are more difficult. In addition, side effects increase with increasing age and the recovery period is prolonged.

IS IT DIFFERENT FROM OTHER TOOTH EXTRACTIONS?

Depending on the location, shape and size of the wisdom tooth, the degree of difficulty of the procedure varies. After a simple extraction, there may be mild swelling, pain and bleeding. Some complex extractions requiring more specialised procedures may also be performed. Precautions and advice from your dentist will minimise side effects. Following this extraction, blood does not accumulate in the extraction cavity and pain may also develop. This will resolve within a few days. In addition, if the dentist’s recommendations are followed, this may not occur at all. As the bone structure becomes denser and flexibility decreases in advanced ages, extraction becomes more difficult and healing slows down.

POST-OPERATIVE CARE

Do not tamper with the wound. Otherwise, pain, infection or bleeding may develop.
Do not chew on the side where your tooth was extracted for the first 24 hours.
Do not smoke for the first 24 hours. Because smoking increases bleeding and impairs healing.
Do not spit. If you spit, bleeding will increase and the clot may dislodge.
Check your bleeding. If no stitches are applied, a tampon is made with sterile gauze. Tampon for clot formation
keep in the mouth for half an hour. If bleeding continues after the tampon is removed, insert a new one.
Check for swelling. Apply a cold tampon to the post-operative area to slow down circulation and
swelling of your face is prevented. The application is done in periods of 20 minutes cold tampon-20 minutes break- 20 minutes cold tampon again.

After the first 24 hours, gargle with a mixture prepared by adding 1 teaspoon of salt to 1 glass of warm water every 2 hours.