Wisdom teeth that do not have enough room in the mouth to fully erupt because of blockage from other teeth and not being able to break through your gums are known as IMPACTED WISDOM TEETH. It results in painful, swollen, and infected flaps in your gums. Impacted wisdom teeth are more prone to disease, dental caries, and other dental issues.
An impacted wisdom tooth may:
- Be tilted towards the second molar (Mesio-angular Impaction)
- Be tilted towards the back of the mouth (Disto-angular Impaction)
- Grow at a right angle to the other teeth, as if the wisdom tooth is lying down within the jaw bone(Horizontal Impaction)
- Third molar is parallel to second molar but stay trapped within the jawbone (Vertical Impaction)
PROCEDURE OF THIRD MOLAR EXTRACTION
Once it has been determined that a wisdom tooth is causing the problem, then extraction of the third molar is indicated. Wisdom tooth extraction is different from routine extraction and is done surgically.
The area is carefully examined as well as an X-ray is taken to see the wisdom tooth properly. If they are coming in at an angle and not aligning with the other teeth, the extraction of such impacted wisdom teeth is recommended.
Local anesthesia is administered so that tooth can be pulled out without any discomfort.
An incision is placed, and gums are displaced exposing the tooth.
Minor surgery is performed where the bone surrounding the tooth is removed and the tooth is cleanly taken out from the socket.
Sutures are placed to close the socket to promote healing of the underlying tissue and sutures are removed after 7 days.
Lower wisdom teeth are difficult to extract as compared to the upper teeth as the lower jaw bone or mandible is denser than the upper jaw or maxilla.
To know more about what to expect after wisdom tooth extraction, read more…