WISDOM TEETH

Wisdom teeth are the third molars, at the back of the mouth.  Sometimes, they can grow into place normally and never cause a problem. However, often there is not enough room for them in the mouth and they might crowd other teeth and even push sideways through the gums.

                         

The signs & symptoms when a wisdom tooth is problematic

  Pain and swelling of the gum overlying the impaction- due to infection of the operculum

  Bad breath- origin from infection or food debris building up at the impacted tooth

  Oozing of pus from the swollen gum area and it will cause bad taste or bad breath

  Difficult and limited mouth opening

  Tenderness when chewing/biting

  Ulcer or pain at the inner cheeks- the cusp tip of impacted tooth may digging into soft tissue or cheeks

  Earache

Why do they need to be extracted?

This may be necessary for a few reasons:

1.   The wisdom tooth may be partially erupted and infected or decayed.

2. A poorly positioned wisdom tooth may crowd or damage the tooth in front of it.

3. A cyst may have formed around an unerupted wisdom tooth. This destroys the bone surrounding the tooth.