Wisdom Teeth

What are wisdom teeth?

Teeth start growing at or before birth. Most children get their first teeth at around six months of age, and from that time, teeth erupt in stages until they reach adolescence. After the incisors, then come the canines, premolars, and molars.

Wisdom teeth, or your third molars, are the last teeth you get. They don’t begin to grow until around the age of seven, and they erupt between 17 and 21. But you don't need wisdom teeth for chewing, and they can cause more trouble than they’re worth.

What causes the need for wisdom teeth removal?

Problems with wisdom teeth occur because there usually isn’t enough space for them to come in, and if they do erupt, they emerge incorrectly.
When wisdom teeth come in at an angle or too close to the second molar, food gets trapped and gives cavity-causing bacteria a place to grow. Moreover, poorly positioned wisdom teeth cause flossing difficulty.
Wisdom teeth that only partially come through give bacteria a way to enter your gums, and therefore, allow an infection to spread further. Pain, swelling, and jaw stiffness often accompany mouth infections.
If Dr. Chinatu Ego-Osuala refers to your wisdom teeth as impacted, that means they’re trapped under your gums in your jaw. Impacted wisdom teeth tend to crowd or damage neighboring teeth and also cause the formation of cysts that damage the roots of nearby teeth and destroy the bone that supports your teeth.

How are wisdom teeth removed?

When you have your wisdom teeth removed at Paramount Dental Care, the first step is to determine the type of anesthesia you’ll receive:  

• Local anesthesia: Only the site of extraction is numbed
• Twilight Sedation: Intravenous (IV) anesthesia which suppresses your consciousness
• General anesthesia: IV anesthesia resulting in amnesia, analgesia, relaxation of skeletal muscles, and loss of control of reflexes of the autonomic nervous system

After you’re anesthetized, Dr. Ego-Osuala makes an incision in your gum tissue to expose your tooth and bone. He then removes the bone that’s blocking access to your tooth root, as well as the offending wisdom tooth.
Once your wisdom tooth is out, Dr. Ego-Osuala cleans out the extraction area and stitches up your wound. Finally, Dr. Ego-Osuala places gauze on your incision to help control bleeding and assist your body with blood clot formation.

Contrary to their name, wisdom teeth don’t make you smarter. If yours cause discomfort, call or make an appointment online today at Paramount Dental Care in Takoma Park, Maryland.