Should wisdom teeth grow crooked or grow underground, should they be extracted?

This is an automatically translated article.

The article was professionally consulted by Specialist Doctor II Nguyen Khanh Nam - Doctor of Odonto-Stomatology - Department of General Surgery - Vinmec Nha Trang International General Hospital.

1. What are wisdom teeth? How do wisdom teeth grow?

Wisdom teeth when erupting usually in many ways such as growing straight, growing sideways, horizontal or underground. Not everyone is lucky when wisdom teeth erupt in a straight line like other teeth and do not cause any abnormalities.
Most people report that each time a wisdom tooth erupts, it causes pain, discomfort and swelling in the cheeks at the growing site. Sometimes they also have a sore throat, a fever for a few days along with other oral diseases. That's because wisdom teeth appear out of nowhere.

2. Some types of wisdom teeth grow crooked, grow underground and causes

Wisdom teeth erupting is considered a rather complicated case. Most wisdom teeth are misaligned because it is the last tooth to emerge on the jaw, so they often "lack of land" to live in.
Some cases of wisdom teeth grow crooked, grow underground:
Wisdom teeth grow out of place Because the time of wisdom teeth eruption is at the age when the jaw bone is no longer growing and the mature bone has high hardness, wisdom teeth are often damaged. deviated or even underground (i.e. not able to grow, lying entirely in the bone).
Depending on the deviation of the teeth as well as the related structures, the doctor decides whether to extract the wisdom teeth or not and at what time, as well as choose the extraction method: normal extraction or minor surgery.
Most cases of wisdom teeth on the upper jaw can be extracted normally. In contrast, misaligned lower wisdom teeth are often more difficult to extract and require minor surgery. We often go to the doctor when there have been some complications such as infection, swelling, pain ... and are often prescribed tooth extraction at this time. However, the advice given is that whenever possible we should visit the dentist for a routine check-up to see if our wisdom teeth are at risk of causing any complications and if they need to be removed before surgery. too late.
Wisdom teeth erupting underground Wisdom teeth, also known as wisdom teeth covered by gums, are the 3rd molars. The two main reasons why wisdom teeth have to grow underground is because the arch is missing space and the teeth are often missing. misaligned. Therefore, wisdom teeth do not have enough space to grow, they must grow underground below the gums. Cases with underground teeth feel the opposite. They often feel pain, discomfort even when not chewing. These symptoms signal that it's time to go to the dentist and get an x-ray to check your teeth.
Most cases of wisdom teeth that are impacted are advised to remove by dentists. Because if left for a long time, they can cause other complications for the teeth. In the case of a normal straight wisdom tooth, it is still possible to be extracted if the opposite jaw does not have a matching tooth. At that time, the wisdom tooth on this side will protrude into the opposite jaw, creating a ladder between the wisdom tooth and tooth number 7. This easily causes food stuffing and gum ulcers of the opposite jaw.

3. Possible complications when wisdom teeth erupt

Each time wisdom teeth erupt will cause pain and risk of infection, tooth decay, if we do not clean our mouth properly. In addition, misaligned wisdom teeth also have the risk of shifting the whole teeth, causing serious aesthetic loss.
Causing inflammation of the teeth The erupting wisdom teeth have the ability to cause inflammation in the gum around that tooth, even if we do not have good oral hygiene during the eruptions, it can lead to gingivitis not only in the surrounding teeth. around that tooth.
Local root inflammation, especially misaligned teeth, will have a part of the tooth protruding and a part still lying under the gums. The gum around this tooth will be very red, inflamed, and swollen. In many cases, the whole cheek area swells up and cannot open the mouth, affecting eating, living or fever for several days.
Bad breath Bad breath is caused by when wisdom teeth grow, causing pain, limiting oral hygiene and of course, if we do not clean our teeth, it creates conditions for bacteria to grow, making breath difficult. bad smell .
Misaligned teeth Wisdom teeth grow out of place and when there is no room to grow, it will push other teeth around to be able to emerge. Accidentally change the original position of tooth number 7, or shove the front teeth, making them crowded and misaligned, causing loss of aesthetics.
Cavities Wisdom teeth that grow, whether deviated or not, cause inflammation of the roots of the teeth, bad breath, creating conditions for bacteria to grow, causing tooth decay, first the adjacent molars, which can gradually spread to the teeth. other.

4. Should or shouldn't wisdom teeth be extracted?

Wisdom teeth grow underground, misaligned causing pain and affecting our health. Therefore, doctors often recommend extraction as soon as possible to avoid possible complications.
However, in cases where wisdom teeth grow straight, the procedure can be removed or not. The wisdom teeth that grow straight still cause pain to the patient but should not be removed if the patient has pathologies such as:
Cardiovascular; Diabetes ; Hemostasis disorder. Performing the wisdom tooth extraction procedure is the fastest and most reasonable way to help patients reduce long-term pain or complications. But many people are concerned that wisdom tooth extraction can leave a hollow bone cavity and difficult to compensate, in some cases it is impossible to compensate, what to do?
At Vinmec International General Hospital, when performing a tooth extraction procedure, doctors often use a small procedure that is a bone grafting procedure with the aim of preventing the bone from closing on its own. performing an additional minor surgery is both time consuming and painful for the patient.

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