Wisdom Teeth:
Why treat them if they are not painful?
Despite being a necessary, accepted, and a common treatment - wisdom tooth extraction is the most dangerous treatment in dentistry. The possibility of nerve damage is higher after the removal of a wisdom tooth compared to any other dental treatment and still, it is recommended to remove the wisdom teeth when there is a medical indication for it.
The wisdom teeth are the backmost teeth in the mouth and sometimes they do not have enough space to erupt properly - so they remain trapped under the gums, developing at abnormal angles, or they only emerge partially into the mouth.
As a result, swelling and / or infections are a common finding near wisdom teeth, as is damage to the adjacent teeth (such as cavity or periodontal disease that weakens the tooth support).
It is important to note that the damage caused by wisdom teeth is often not painful up to the point where the damage is advanced, significant, and requires extensive treatment.
Once decided to remove a wisdom tooth, it is important to evaluate the complexity of the operation. In some cases extracting a wisdom tooth is a simple and easy operation that is no different from extracting any other tooth. However, there are times when the treatment of wisdom teeth requires complex surgical expertise, and usually in these cases it is recommended that the extraction be performed by a specialist in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.
Before treatment, using appropriate X-rays , the surgeon will assess the location of the tooth, the angle at which it has developed, its relationship to the mandibular nerve, the proximity of the tooth to the lower border of the jaw, and whatever damage has already been done to the adjacent tooth.
If the tooth has been diagnosed in close proximity to the mandibular nerve (the nerve that gives the sensation to the lower lip and teeth), a treatment called a coronatomy might be recommended in order to reduce the risk of sensory disturbances after the extraction.
Although most wisdom teeth can be removed under local anesthesia, if the operation is very complex or the patient is apprehensive, the procedure should be performed under sedation.
The possible complications after the removal of wisdom teeth depend on the level of complexity of the operation, the angle of impaction, and the patient's individual healing ability. Some of the complications include bleeding, infection, fracture of restorations (fillings and crowns) in adjacent teeth, perforation of the maxillary sinus, fractures of the jaw and nerve injury to the mandibular nerve and / or Injury to the lingual nerve (that sensational stimulation the tongue.)
Despite the high prevalence of impacted wisdom teeth, their extraction requires training, skill, and experience. If you have been advised to remove a wisdom tooth, you should whether there is a place to be examined by an Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon before starting treatment.