What is a wisdom tooth?
A wisdom tooth is the third molar on the human jaw. The four molars are at the extreme end of the set of teeth and are the last to erupt. Wisdom teeth finally appear in the late teens or early twenties.
Does it have any uses?
Strictly speaking, wisdom teeth have no use in the chewing process. According to anthropologists, the wisdom teeth are an ancestral inheritance. In the earlier forms of evolution, the human species had a diet of coarse rough food which required more intensive chewing power. The modern diet is based on softer food and the tiny marvels of spoons and knives have made wisdom teeth non existent. Evolutionary biologists consider wisdom teeth as vestigial organs where vestigial organs have lost their function in the course of evolution.
What kind of complications can arise out of wisdom teeth?
Over generations of evolution, the human jaw has become narrower. Consequently, when wisdom teeth are formed they become impacted or blocked by the other teeth. If the tooth partially erupts, the food of course has the tendency to get trapped in the surrounding gum tissue leading to a serious infection from bacteria growth.
There are of course situations where the wisdom teeth might not erupt at all and that might also lead to oral problems. A cyst might form around the impacted tooth and lead to damage like bone distortion and jaw expansion.
Yes, there are a lot of people who might never have problems due to their wisdom teeth till date and have not considered a surgery. However, the whole trouble with the third molar is that a complication can occur at any point in your life. According to the the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons 85% of all wisdom teeth need to be removed eventually.
Getting a wisdom tooth removal surgery when necessary sounds reasonable but the older you get, there are more chances of it hurting and taking time to heal.
The ideal time for getting a wisdom tooth extracted is in your twenties, the older you grow, the skin gets tougher and removing it will cause a lot of pain.
Wisdom teeth removal
If your wisdom tooth is impacted- it will either grow at an angle towards the next tooth or the back of the mouth. Sometimes, they also grow at right angle to the other teeth or stay trapped in a jawbone.
How easily your teeth can be removed depends entirely on the condition of your teeth. Depending on the position and stage of development your dentist will be able to give you a clearer idea about what to expect during the extraction.
In general, the best consultations are found in dental clinics that have standardized treatment and advanced technology like Aesthetica Dental clinic, which is the best dental clinic in Kolkata.
A fully grown tooth that has erupted perfectly can be extracted as easily as any other teeth. However if your tooth is embedded in the jawbone, it will require a small incision and the removal of a portion of the bone that is over the tooth.
The tooth is often extracted in fragments to minimize the amount of bone that needs to be cut. The entire surgery is done under anesthesia, and the process does not hurt at all.
The after care for a tooth extraction has to be detailed, and you have to follow all the guidelines dictated by your surgeon, without which you might get post-operative infections or delay the healing process.
In general you may expect a slight amount of bleeding from the empty socket and a swelling of the face corresponding to the tooth extracted. Try to avoid hot drinks, sucking through a straw and rinsing your mouth for at least twenty four hours after the extraction.
If the bleeding persists or there is a lot of pain despite the medication, make sure to consult your dentist.