Wisdom Teeth usually start to move and push through the gumline in the late teens or twenties, although sometimes these large molars get stuck, which can cause noticeable discomfort and even infection. If you are experiencing pain in the back of your mouth or having difficulty brushing and flossing between gaps, speak with the dentists at Kensington Dental Care before any serious symptoms occur.
At Kensington Dental Care, we observe and monitor the growth of wisdom teeth in our younger patients to ensure a safe and effective treatment plan is in place.
Common Wisdom Tooth Presentations
Wisdom teeth are also known as third molars, and when they erupt in alignment with your other teeth, they usually don’t cause any problems.
However, either from one to all four wisdom teeth can grow in misalignment, becoming either partially or fully wrapped in your gums or jawbone. Where this occurs, it’s referred to as impaction. Impacted wisdom teeth can result in trapped food particles and this can lead to inflammation and infection.
Vertical Wisdom Tooth
A vertical wisdom tooth is also called vertical impaction, and it occurs when your wisdom tooth is in the proper position for eruption but it’s trapped underneath the gum.
Horizontal Wisdom Tooth
A horizontal wisdom tooth is when the tooth is impacted horizontally and is lying on its side, trapped under the gum. These growth abnormalities are often painful because they put too much pressure on nearby teeth.
Mesioangular Wisdom Tooth
Mesial impaction or mesioangular wisdom teeth are the most typical type and occur when wisdom teeth are angled toward the front of the mouth.
Distoangular Wisdom Tooth
Distoangular or distal impaction is the rarest misalignment of wisdom teeth. This abnormality occurs when the wisdom tooth is angled toward the back of the mouth.
Wisdom Teeth Extractions
An impacted wisdom tooth can cause various oral health problems, including gum disease, infection and cavities, and you may need your wisdom teeth pulled. Impacted wisdom teeth can also cause damage to nearby teeth. For wisdom tooth extraction, you may need an oral surgeon to perform oral and maxillofacial surgery.
Why Do We Need Wisdom Teeth?
Our human ancestors didn’t have knives and forks to cut up their food, and didn’t cook the meat from the animals they killed for food. So, they needed the extra teeth for chewing hardy, coarse and raw food. The broader jaw was necessary, so they grew wisdom teeth to give them more chewing power.
Relief for Severe Wisdom Tooth Pain
Supermarket’s variety painkillers can assist with mild, short-term pain. However, removal may be necessary to prevent any ongoing pain or future problems, such as gum infection, cysts or overcrowding. For simple cases, numbing the gums with a local anaesthetic is all that is necessary before removing wisdom teeth.
For deeper or more complex removals, a surgical procedure by oral and maxillofacial surgeons may be needed. Adelaide dentist Dr Evan routinely performs wisdom tooth extractions under general anaesthetic at some of our local hospitals.
Kensington Dental For All Wisdom Teeth Treatment
Our family dental clinic at Kensington Dental Care provides a caring environment and a comfortable experience so the next visit won’t be a worry. If you want to find out about wisdom tooth infection, about the healing process after getting wisdom teeth removed, or any other dental information, call us. If you need information about tooth decay, severe pain, wisdom tooth removal, pain management, bleeding gums, or wisdom teeth removal treatment, contact us to book an appointment today.