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In dental terminology an "impacted tooth" refers to a tooth that has failed to emerge fully into its expected position. This failure to erupt properly may occur either because there is not room enough in the jaw for the tooth, or because the angulation of the tooth is improper.
Wisdom teeth generally cause problems when they erupt partially through the gum. The most common reasons for removing them are: (1) Decay Saliva, bacteria and food particles can collect around an impacted wisdom
tooth, causing it, or the next tooth to decay. It is very difficult to
remove such decay. Pain and infection will usually follow.
Some Pro's of Removing a Wisdom Tooth: Wisdom teeth may be hard to access
with your toothbrush or floss. Over time, the accumulation of bacteria,
sugars and acids may cause a cavity to form in the tooth. If it is not
restored with a filling, the cavity may spread and destroy more tooth structure
causing severe consequences to the tooth and surrounding supportive structures.
The alternative to having wisdom teeth removed is to keep them. A few lucky people are able to keep their wisdom teeth and care for them as they would their other teeth. But for most of us, this isn't possible, and a delay in their removal can cause serious problems.
Many people have their wisdom teeth removed under local anaesthesia by
a general Houston dentist or oral surgeon. This means that they are awake,
but the area around the wisdom tooth is completely numb. Sedative drugs
can be given with local anaesthesia to help people relax during the procedure.
Following the removal of your wisdom teeth it is important that you call
our Houston dentist if any unusual bleeding, swelling or pain occurs. The
first 6-8 hours after the extraction are typically the worst, but are manageable
with ice packs and non-prescription pain medication. You should also plan
to see our Houston dentist approximately one week later to ensure everything
is healing well.
It may be possible in the future for people to have stem cells taken from
their own wisdom teeth and saved. The stem cells would be used to help
regrow teeth, to restore nerve cells, to correct a cleft palate or periodontal
defects, and to regrow jawbone and teeth.
You may also be interested in:
- Panorex dental x-ray for wisdom tooth
- Information about intravous sedation (IV sedation)
- Odontogenic infection
- Dental abscesses
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