Questions About Wisdom Teeth
When third molars, or wisdom teeth, start to give you trouble, the discomfort can quickly become intense. Extracting them may be the best option for alleviating the problem, or helping you avoid problems if they haven’t developed yet.
Why do my wisdom teeth hurt?
When wisdom teeth develop, they’re the last permanent teeth to do so. For many patients, there is little room left at the end of their dental ridges to accommodate their growth and development, which causes one, several, or all of your wisdom teeth to become impacted. When stuck behind another tooth, wisdom teeth will continue to push against them, leading to sometimes intense levels of discomfort.
What if the impaction gets worse?
Like any dental discomfort, the pain associated with wisdom tooth impaction grows increasingly worse over time. In addition to the pain, the impaction can also lead to severe damage to the surrounding bone structure and/or the forced misalignment of your other teeth. To avoid these problems, or to stop them from becoming even more severe, we can recommend surgically extracting the wisdom teeth and removing the threat to your smile.
Is extracting the molars difficult?
Extracting an impacted wisdom tooth isn’t the same as routine tooth extraction performed on other types of teeth. The impaction often means that little or no structure is visible above your gum line, making it impossible to grasp the tooth and gently remove it. Instead, we may have to surgically expose the tooth’s entire structure and carefully remove it, which helps ensure that no further damage is caused to the surrounding structures.
What if my wisdom teeth feel fine?
For some people, wisdom teeth can grow and develop just fine without ever causing discomfort or harm to their other teeth. Sometimes, though, it just takes a while before the signs of wisdom tooth impaction become obvious. Depending on your specific oral health needs, we might recommend extracting your wisdom teeth even if they don’t hurt to avoid the potential for problems later on.
Learn more by calling us today
If you have more questions about your wisdom teeth or the need to extract them, then speak with our team today. To schedule your consultation, call the Texas Institute of Oral, Facial & Implant Surgery in Midlothian, TX, today at 469-649-8259. We also serve patients who live in Dallas, Mansfield, Cedar Hill, Duncanville, Desoto, Red Oak, Waxahachie, Ft. Worth, and all surrounding communities.