Wisdom teeth are usually the last to grow. They develop very well for some people but with problems for others. If your existing teeth have occupied the entire space, the developing teeth will have a problem developing, causing your wisdom teeth to become impacted. You will experience pain or other severe symptoms like inflammation and oral infection. Other times, wisdom teeth do not develop well, like natural teeth. They overlap or affect other fully developed teeth, causing you to experience pain and develop malocclusion and its related complications.
If your wisdom teeth are problematic, your dentist can recommend extraction. This allows fully developed teeth to remain healthy, strong, and functional. However, you must show signs of visiting your dentist’s office for an extraction. Here are some indications that you need to remove the wisdom teeth:
You Have Lost Bone Density Due to Periodontal Disease
Periodontal disease is an agonizing dental problem that affects teeth and gums. It occurs when harmful bacteria infect teeth, gums, and teeth’s underlying structures, causing a severe infection that results in tooth loss. The disease starts slowly as gingivitis and worsens and spreads when not treated. It can damage your gums, deepening your gum pockets and exposing your natural teeth’s roots. The infection can also affect your jawbone and other structures supporting your natural teeth.
Dentists encourage seeking treatment immediately after you notice bleeding gums or inflammation of painful gums. The harmful bacteria that causes gingivitis spreads and affects your teeth and gums. Once the bacteria penetrate the underlying structures of your teeth, it causes an infection that damages those structures, including the jawbone. This affects the strength of your jawbone, the primary support system for your natural teeth.
The damage caused by severe periodontitis is sometimes irreversible because it affects your dental and overall health. If it causes your jawbone to weaken, your developing wisdom teeth will not have sufficient support. Your dentist will recommend immediate extraction of the wisdom teeth immediately after they develop. This will relieve your pain and any discomfort the developing teeth present.
You Have Difficulties Keeping Your Teeth Clean
Oral hygiene is critical as it protects you from tooth decay, bad breath, and severe issues like periodontal disease. Dentists recommend brushing your teeth after every meal or twice daily to remove any stuck foods in your mouth and between your teeth. They also recommend flossing daily to remove difficult-to-remove food particles between your teeth. However, you must reach all areas of your mouth while brushing and flossing to enjoy excellent oral hygiene. This could be a problem if some of your teeth are not adequately developed, like the wisdom teeth.
Remember that your wisdom teeth develop way after all the other teeth have developed. Since there is usually insufficient space for the developing wisdom teeth, they could squeeze the already-developing teeth, causing them to shift or misalign. This will create a significant problem for you when keeping your mouth clean. Additionally, the spaces between improperly developed teeth are usually difficult to reach during regular brushing and flossing. So much food can be stuck in these areas, making them perfect breeding grounds for harmful bacteria.
This puts you at risk of bad breath, cavities, and periodontal disease. However, your dentist can recommend extracting your wisdom teeth to make enough room for your existing teeth. Then, you will have minimal issues keeping your mouth clean.
You Have Developed Tumors or Cysts Around Impacted Wisdom Teeth
Your wisdom teeth become impacted when stuck in the gum tissue and cannot break through it. This mainly happens when your teeth are crowded, with insufficient space for the developing teeth. Impacted teeth are painful, and the area where they should develop could become sore and inflamed. Sometimes, the sensitive tissues in the mouth cause tumors and cysts to grow on the jawbone. Tumors and cysts are rare growths in various body parts, including the mouth. Their severity and size vary.
Cysts are fluid-filled lesions in the mouth’s soft tissues when wisdom teeth erupt. When a wisdom tooth erupts partially, leaving a significant part in the gum, a cyst can develop on the bare gum. Although these cysts are usually non-cancerous, they could cause additional complications like infections around the affected gum.
Smaller cysts do not cause any symptoms, but the large ones can cause your gum to swell, necessitate a tooth replacement, or cause sensitivity around the developing wisdom tooth. Cysts can also cause significant issues like jaw fractures and tooth loss. If you feel a cyst or tumor around a developing wisdom tooth, it could indicate a need for extraction. Talk to your dentist about your symptoms.
Discomfort Due to Overcrowding
Dental crowding occurs when all your teeth fail to fit nicely on the jaw. It causes some teeth to appear crooked and others to overlap. When the jaw is small and cannot accommodate all your natural teeth, or the teeth are larger than yours can accommodate, you will experience teeth misalignment. How your teeth fit on the jaw is critical, as it determines how well your bite is. Bite issues cause significant problems with chewing, speaking, oral hygiene, and general appearance. When your teeth affect how you speak or appear, they affect your confidence and self-esteem.
There are many causes of dental crowding. It could happen due to the development of wisdom teeth after all the other teeth have developed and taken their position on the jawbone. Typically, wisdom teeth are larger than other teeth. Thus, they could affect how your other teeth appear if fully developed. They will affect the appearance of the adjacent teeth and cause you to experience discomfort, especially when speaking, chewing, or cleaning your teeth.
If your wisdom teeth have significantly affected your teeth’ appearance and health, your dentist will recommend an extraction. This will free up space on the jaw so your other teeth can take their rightful position. It will also resolve any other problem you could have experienced, including pain when chewing or brushing your teeth.
You Have Cavities Due to The Distorted Angle of Your Teeth
Cavities are small holes that develop on natural teeth when harmful bacteria attack the teeth’s enamel. Although the enamel is generally robust, it cannot withstand the strong acid produced when harmful bacteria combine with remaining foods in the mouth. The acid forms a buildup on the teeth and gums and attacks the enamel until it penetrates a tooth’s underlying structure.
If your teeth are misaligned, you will likely develop a cavity on one or more affected teeth. This is because they are misaligned and challenging to keep clean. They also accumulate a lot of food remains and dirt, encouraging harmful bacteria growth. If you cannot clean the teeth and surrounding areas well, the harmful bacteria can attack them, eventually causing a cavity.
If your dentists conclude that your teeth are misaligned due to the development of wisdom teeth, they could suggest an extraction. Remember that wisdom teeth take up more space on the gums, making it difficult for other teeth to develop straight and with sufficient space as they should. Once removed, your remaining teeth will have enough space to develop normally and healthily. Then, you will not have to worry about cavities in the future.
Your Gums Around the Wisdom Teeth Bleed or Are Tender
Natural teeth should not cause you significant problems as they develop. However, this is not true for wisdom teeth. Since they are usually the last to develop and erupt after all the other teeth have fully developed, they could cause pain, discomfort, and other unpleasant symptoms that necessitate removal.
For example, if your developing wisdom teeth push the adjacent teeth to create space on the gums for themselves, it could cause a significant shift in all your teeth. The shift is usually painful and uncomfortable and could cause your gums to feel tender or start bleeding. If they continue to exert more pressure on the gums and adjacent teeth, your gums could swell and bleed. You should visit your dentist if you notice some blood, redness, or tenderness on one side of your jaw or the gum where the new teeth are developing.
If the wisdom teeth are left to continue developing, they could cause you more problems. The pain will make it difficult to chew, speak, or brush and floss your teeth. Swollen or bleeding gums could become inflamed and develop a severe infection. This will affect your oral health and general well-being. A skilled dentist will recommend extracting the developing wisdom teeth before they cause you more problems.
You Have Pericoronitis or An Infection of the Developing Teeth
It is not unusual for a developing wisdom tooth to become infected before it erupts. The infection occurs on the gum where the tooth is about to develop. Pericoronitis is an inflammation of the gum tissue around a tooth’s crown. The inflammation can quickly become an infection, causing you to experience severe symptoms like fever, chills, and a bad taste or odor in the mouth.
Since the developing wisdom teeth are usually at the back of your mouth, it is difficult to notice the inflammation or infection immediately after it occurs. However, you can experience pain, sensitivity, or bad breath. These are symptoms you should report to your dentist immediately. Additionally, you can notice some redness or whiteness on the gum where the tooth is about to erupt.
An oral infection is a significant issue that requires immediate treatment. The conditions inside your mouth can encourage the growth of harmful bacteria, which causes an infection to spread quickly. Thus, you should not ignore any signs of oral inflammation or infection. Once your dentist realizes the infection has occurred due to the developing wisdom tooth, they recommend extraction. Once the tooth is removed, the dentist can treat the infected part to prevent the infection from spreading further in the mouth and the underlying structures.
Your Wisdom Teeth are Impacted
An impacted wisdom tooth does not erupt from the gum like other teeth. When natural teeth start developing below the gum, they erupt and form on the gum naturally. This is sometimes difficult for wisdom teeth because they develop after all the other teeth have developed and taken a position on the gum line. If your developing teeth do not find space sufficient on the gum line, they will not erupt naturally as they should. When that happens, they become painful while in the gums and could cause inflammation and infection of the gum.
An impacted tooth can also cause problems for your already-formed teeth. It could damage the roots of its adjacent teeth, weakening and causing them to become less functional. An impacted tooth can also cause nerve damage. Since the tooth grows inside the gum, it can put more pressure on the underlying nerves.
You should see a dentist immediately if you feel pain or discomfort or notice signs of an infection or inflammation at the back of your mouth. If your dentist notices that your wisdom teeth are impacted, they can extract them immediately before they cause more problems to your teeth’s underlying structures.
An emergency removal of impacted teeth is recommended because they cause more harm as they grow below the gums.
Find a Proficient General Dentist Near Me
Wisdom teeth cause problems for most adults, necessitating removal. You will notice common signs like pain, discomfort, sensitivity, and difficulties chewing, speaking, or opening your mouth. You could also see more severe symptoms like inflammation or infection. Your dentist will diagnose the exact problems and their cause to recommend the best treatment.
In most cases, we recommend extracting wisdom teeth at The Lakewood Dentist. If your gum does not have sufficient space to accommodate the developing wisdom teeth, an extraction will be an excellent idea. Then, you will not have to worry about overcrowding, difficulties maintaining good oral hygiene, cavities, gum disease, and other severe issues with crowded teeth. Call us at 562-423-1441 if you suspect your developing wisdom tooth is problematic. Our highly trained and experienced dentists in Lakewood will recommend the best solution.