Wisdom teeth are the final set of molars that a person usually gets at around 17 to 21 years of age. These teeth can be a great asset to anyone that has a healthy and properly aligned set of choppers. But in most cases, this third set of molars often grow misaligned. Thus, requiring it to get removed.
When a person’s wisdom teeth grow misaligned, it often positions itself horizontally. Thus, causing it either grow away or towards the second molars. When this happens, it can cause either damage or crowd the adjacent teeth. Even worse, it can also affect the jawbone and even the nerves.
There are times when wisdom teeth can also suffer from brute force, especially when enclosed inside the soft tissue. It can also partially breakthrough or even erupt through the person’s gums. Even a slight eruption of this set of molars can create a passageway where bacteria can enter the tooth and cause it to get infected. Once this happens, the person can experience pain as well as swelling in the affected area. It can also create their teeth to get stiff and can even cause the person to become prone to gum disease.
How to know if you have wisdom teeth
You can speak with your dentist about the alignment of your wisdom teeth. He’ll then take an X-ray from time to time to carefully observe and evaluate the alignment of your teeth. If he sees that it’s not growing in the right direction, he will recommend speaking with an oral surgeon to further evaluate your condition.
Next, the oral surgeon will check to see if your wisdom teeth need to get distracted to prevent further problems to ensue. Extracting your wisdom teeth will prevent any further complications in the future. Removing it is easier when you’re young. That’s because the roots of the wisdom teeth haven’t fully developed yet. Meanwhile, the recovery, as well as the healing time in older people, tends to take a longer time.
Removing wisdom teeth
Before the oral surgeon pulls out your wisdom teeth, the surrounding tissue, as well as the teeth, need to get numbed using a local anesthetic. Aside from the local anesthetic, you and the oral surgeon in Meridian will decide if you need a sedative to help alleviate your anxiety. It can include valium or an intravenous sedative to control it.
Once you’ve undergone a wisdom tooth removal, your recovery period will depend on the difficulty of the surgery. During the first day, you may experience bleeding after getting your tooth extracted. You may also experience swelling on your face, which you can minimize by applying a piece of ice wrapped in clothing and apply on the affected area.
You need to take antibiotics as prescribed by your doctor until you’ve completed it. You should also stick to a liquid diet for a few days until the numbness has worn off.
You need to practice proper oral hygiene even during the first 24 hours. Doing so will ensure that the affected area is clean of any bacteria.
If you feel like you need to get your wisdom tooth removed, you need to contact your dentist about it. He will thoroughly check your wisdom teeth to see if there’s any need to have it removed.