It may seem like getting your wisdom teeth removed is a rite of passage for any teen or young adult, but you don’t always need to get them removed.
When you lack sufficient jaw space to accommodate this third set of molars, they can cause a lot of discomfort, oral health problems, and even headaches.
Read on in this blog from Eck Dental Partners to find out why wisdom teeth can cause these problems and how you can know if they should be extracted.
If your wisdom teeth fully erupted without causing any pain or issues and were straight in line with your other teeth, then you do not need to have them removed. Many people never need to have their wisdom teeth extracted, though it may seem like everyone does.
The reason for this is that most people’s wisdom teeth are impacted. Impacted wisdom teeth are trapped behind the gums and unable to fully erupt because of a lack of room in the jaw or because they’re erupting at the wrong angle and are being blocked by your other teeth.
This typically causes a lot of unsavory symptoms, including jaw pain, headaches, sinus problems, cysts, inflamed gums, and bad breath. When the teeth have partially erupted but cannot come through all the way, it can be difficult to properly clean these teeth and this can result in recurrent infections, tooth decay, and gum disease.
When impacted wisdom teeth cause these problems, you will need to have them removed. We may also recommend removing these teeth before they start to cause problems if we can see that they are positioned at an angle in your jaw on x-rays. This means they are highly likely to cause problems in the future.
Your wisdom teeth start to erupt between the ages of 17 to 25, as they are the last set of teeth that will erupt in your oral development. During these ages, your teeth will either begin to erupt partially through the gums, fully erupt, or never break through the gums.
The best age to get your wisdom teeth removed if they are impacted is as early as possible. Young teens can have their wisdom teeth removed as early as 13 or 14 if they have started to develop. However, it’s more common for them to be removed at 17 or 18 years old.
We can take x-rays to see if the wisdom teeth are impacted before they have started to cause any symptoms. Since impacted wisdom teeth will need to be removed at some point, it’s best to do it when you’re younger and the tooth roots have not fully grown.
This makes them easier to remove and reduces the risk of complications. Having these teeth removed before you’re 25 will prevent pain and complications because the tooth roots are not fully formed and are less dense.
Wisdom teeth can cause headaches by placing pressure on your jaw as they erupt. Impacted wisdom teeth which can’t fully break through the gums or are erupting at an angle are even more likely to cause headaches. This is because changes to your bite can occur if there isn’t enough space for your wisdom teeth. They may even be pressing against your other teeth. If your bite becomes misaligned, your lower jaw will compensate which can cause pain in the form of headaches.
If your wisdom teeth are causing headaches, the best cure is to have them removed. However, in the meantime, you can get relief by taking aspirin, rinsing your mouth with a saline solution, and alternating between applying a cold compress and a heat pack.
If your wisdom teeth are placing pressure on your surrounding teeth, getting infected, causing pain, or other oral health problems, you should have them removed. Contact us at Eck Dental Partners to schedule an extraction consultation with Dr. Eck or Dr. Penshorn.
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Dr. Cody Eck is thrilled to expand on the legacy of patient-focused care that his predecessor, Dr. Penshorn, established here in Schertz. While Dr. Penshorn will still work at the practice, he’s pleased to pass the torch of practice owner so Dr. Eck can bring his specialized training and state of the art technology to our office...
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