Wisdom Teeth Extraction or Removal by Burlington & Mississauga Dentist
Wisdom teeth, also referred to as third molars typically begin to erupt between the ages of 17 and 25. Only four wisdom teeth will develop, one tooth in each corner of the mouth. In many occasions, wisdom teeth can lead to complications and will need to be extracted.
When wisdom teeth emerge through the gums, they may develop in the incorrect position. This typically happens because wisdom teeth are last to erupt and therefore the jaw doesn’t have enough room to support them. This results in your wisdom teeth to be improperly placed. The result of these teeth growing in the wrong position is called Impaction. There is a variety of issues and problems that can arise from Impaction of the Wisdom Teeth. It all depends on the size of the patient’s teeth, jaw size, direction of eruption. Having a specific problem involving wisdom teeth is very common.
Types of Impaction include mesial, vertical, horizontal or distal. When the wisdom tooth grows sideways this is called horizontal impaction. When a distal impaction occurs, the wisdom tooth grows away from the other teeth. Mesial impaction occurs when the wisdom tooth actually grows towards other teeth. If a vertical impaction occurs, this means that the wisdom tooth is growing upright.
Another set of characteristics of impaction are if a “bony” or “soft tissue” impaction occur. A soft tissue impaction occurs when the tooth has punctured the bone but not the gums. A bony impaction occurs when the tooth is wrapped in the jaw’s bone.
Apart from impaction, numerous other issues can occur if wisdom teeth that have complications are left in your mouth such as infection. This condition is known as pericorontis and occurs within the tissues around the crown of the wisdom tooth. Infection can develop when bacteria is existent.
Wisdom teeth do not play an important role when compared to other teeth in your mouth, but they can develop into complications that would require them to be extracted. Talk to our team at Britannia Dental Centre for an evaluation and recommendation for extraction of your wisdom teeth before they result in problems for your oral health.
