Table of contents:
- What are the symptoms of impacted wisdom teeth?
- What will happen if the impacted wisdom tooth is not removed?
- How do you deal with impacted wisdom teeth?
Have you ever heard of wisdom teeth? Or even now you are experiencing it? Also called wisdom teeth wisdom teeth grows at the very end of the gum. Usually begins to grow at the age of 17 to 25 years. Most wisdom teeth have to be removed due to impact, aka abnormal growth. Usually this is because there is not enough room for these teeth to grow.
The growth of these wisdom teeth can be painful. The gums above may become infected and swollen. At first you may not realize that you will have wisdom teeth. However, over time you will feel discomfort in the gums or pain around the closest teeth, you can even experience pain in the ear close to your face.
Located in a far corner and difficult to reach with a toothbrush, this wisdom tooth is prone to cavities. Teeth that have grown lately can also cause the adjacent teeth to become irritated. If the tooth grows obliquely, the next tooth will get a push from the impacted tooth, so that it can mess up the other tooth structure. There are several possibilities for impacted wisdom teeth to appear, such as:
- Teeth grow at the corner towards the back of the mouth
- Teeth "lying down" in the jawbone, grow at right angles to lead to other teeth
- It grows straight up or down in the same way as other teeth, but gets trapped in the jawbone
What are the symptoms of impacted wisdom teeth?
As with teething babies, you may experience several symptoms when wisdom teeth grow, such as:
- Swelling of the gums at the back of the mouth
- Bleeding and painful gums
- Difficulty opening the jaw
- Bad taste in mouth
- Pain when opening your mouth
- Pain when chewing or biting
What will happen if the impacted wisdom tooth is not removed?
As explained above, if left untreated, wisdom teeth that grow abnormally will cause health problems in the form of:
- Other tooth decay. When wisdom teeth push against other teeth, the risk of infection increases in that area. In addition, the teeth will grow sideways and pile up, so that their recovery needs to be realigned.
- Cyst. Wisdom teeth form a fluid-filled pocket in the jawbone. The cysts that form will damage the jawbone, teeth and nerves. Noncancerous tumors can also grow.
- Cavity. As mentioned above, its remote location makes it difficult to clean when brushing your teeth, so food and bacteria are easily trapped in the area. As a result, this can also lead to infection.
- Sore gums. Swelling and pain in the gums, aka pericoronitis, can occur in the area where the wisdom teeth grow. This is due to the difficulty of cleaning the teeth.
How do you deal with impacted wisdom teeth?
When you consult a doctor, the doctor will diagnose the impacted tooth, whether to extract it or not. If the tooth is free from disease, perhaps only treatment will be performed. Conversely, if the impacted tooth is problematic and poses a risk of future disease, the doctor will look further at what procedure to recommend. Impacted teeth, which cause pain and other oral problems, are recommended to be treated surgically. The process is as follows:
- Sedation or anesthesia. You will be given an anesthetic to numb your mouth or numb; the anesthetic will lower your consciousness without eliminating it completely.
- Tooth extraction. The dentist will make an incision in the gum and remove the bone blocking access to the root of the impacted tooth. After it has been successfully removed, the doctor will close the wound with stitches and cover the empty space in the area with gauze.
This operation does not take long, you can go home later that day. The aftereffects are pain and bleeding, as well as swelling in your jaw. Some people may have difficulty opening their mouths because of the swelling in the jaw muscles. The doctor will provide instructions for dealing with the swelling and pain. You also have to take the medicine and compress it with cold water to reduce swelling.