Wisdom teeth

Everything You Need to Know About Wisdom Teeth

What are wisdom teeth?

Wisdom teeth—also called third molars—are generally the last teeth to emerge. They most commonly erupt when a person is between 17 and 25 years old.

However, these teeth are the most variable of all the teeth we have in our mouths. Sometimes they may emerge before or after the ages mentioned. Or, they may never erupt at all.

That being said, a person can have up to four wisdom teeth. That is, two in the upper arch and two in the lower arch, right at the end of the teeth. This is an important point since, of course, it is also possible that only some of the wisdom teeth will emerge.

What happens if your wisdom teeth come in?

Wisdom teeth do not have a function in the mouth. That is, they do not serve any fundamental function since they do not intervene in chewing nor are they visible when smiling. Therefore, nothing happens if a person never gets their wisdom teeth.

Nor is it necessary to do anything when a wisdom tooth erupts and does not cause any problems in the mouth. However, it is very common for the eruption of wisdom teeth to cause infection, pain, and displacement of other teeth. In these cases, it would be necessary to extract the wisdom tooth.

What happens if the wisdom teeth are not removed?

When a wisdom tooth has enough space to emerge and does not cause inconvenience in the mouth, it is not necessary to proceed with its extraction.

However, it is very common for the space to be insufficient—because the rest of the teeth have already emerged. When wisdom teeth try to erupt and do not find space to do so, the following problems appear:

Pain and infection: when there is not enough space, wisdom teeth tend to erupt partially and try to make their way little by little. This slow process causes pain to the person, as the wisdom tooth pushes the rest of the teeth. Also, keep in mind that this eruption process causes a wound in the gum. If this wound remains open for a long time, we will be facing the best breeding ground for the development of bacteria.

Movements in the teeth: as they do not have space to erupt normally, the wisdom teeth push the adjacent teeth. This is especially inconvenient for people who have had orthodontics and have aligned teeth. Uncontrolled displacements of the teeth can cause crowding to reappear.

Cavities: crowding makes it impossible for the person to brush their teeth as well as when they were aligned. The fact of not being able to practice good hygiene on all sides of the tooth makes some areas more prone to developing cavities.

Procedure

1. First visit

The operation is usually performed with local anesthesia. This type of anesthesia completely blocks gum pain while the patient remains awake during the procedure.

2. Extraction

The procedure to extract wisdom teeth will depend on how impacted they are. Most wisdom tooth extractions usually take only a few minutes, but more difficult cases can take about 20 minutes.

3. Postoperative

After the operation, the dentist will indicate the guidelines to follow.

Frequently asked questions

Is wisdom tooth extraction painful?

The extraction itself is not painful, since the dentist applies local anesthesia. What is possible is that, after the operation, the patient begins to notice certain discomforts in the intervened area.

In the vast majority of cases, these discomforts are very bearable and can be controlled by analgesic and anti-inflammatory medication. In addition, they tend to subside as the hours and days pass.

What is the postoperative period like after wisdom tooth extraction?

After the extraction, the surgeon will indicate to the patient the guidelines to follow so that they recover quickly from the surgery. Although these indications are personalized for each patient, they usually refer to medication, brushing (soft and avoiding the area) and food (hot and hard foods should be avoided).

How should I brush my teeth after surgery?

Normally, the dentist recommends that the patient not brush the intervened area on the day of the extraction. In this way, the wound will be allowed to rest, since the bristles of the brush could cause bleeding or the removal of a stitch.

Financing

In our clinics we offer flexible, comfortable and adapted financing solutions to your budget, to help you get the dental treatment you need.

Financing: Up to 12 months without interest. Up to 60 months with preferential conditions.
Payment splitting: pay monthly in comfortable installments for the treatment.
We facilitate a discount for prompt payment paying the entire treatment at the beginning.
Multiple payment options: direct debit, credit card, cash, transfer, Apple Pay, Google Pay and Bizum.

Our clinics are located in Catalonia

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