Wisdom Teeth

It was a long-held popular perception of both Cincinnati patients and dentists that wisdom teeth should be left alone until they "erupted" through the gum. That perception has changed. Dentists and dental patients now recognize the persistent problems both emerged and impacted wisdom teeth can cause, and the majority of people are asked to treat this as early as possible.

The risks normally associated with wisdom teeth only grow more likely as a patient grows older. People who wait until infection or inflammation and other problems emerge before they go for treatment are only risk increasing the possibility of complications. People under the age of thirty-five are in the best position to have their wisdom teeth dealt with without additional concerns. Those over fifty, however, are at risk for damage to the jaw and surrounding bone because the teeth by then have fused more securely to the bone. The risks after thirty-five also include potential numbness in the lips or mouth due to the proximity of many nerves surrounding the wisdom teeth.

Cincinnati-area dentists and oral surgeons use modern X-ray images to properly assess the situation before any corrective treatment is initiated.

Why is it necessary to extract wisdom teeth? Wisdom teeth can be a source of pain, and can compress and crowd other teeth. Wisdom teeth can alter the position of adjacent teeth, gradually changing the occlusion (bite pattern). They can cause sinus problems, irritate the gum tissue and encourage infection. They frequently cause pockets where decay can form leading to bone loss and infection, and affect the effectiveness of orthodontic and prosthodontic treatment due to tooth shifting.

To remove the wisdom teeth, particularly the teeth which have not yet emerged, many Cincinnati dentists will opt for a referral to an oral surgeon who has the proper equipment and training to meet the treatment needs of the patient. There should be adequate provision of sedation, because removal of wisdom teeth can be a relatively long and complicated procedure.

After the wisdom teeth are extracted, a patient can expect some pain or discomfort which is normally responsive to pain-medication, minor bleeding, puffiness in the face and jaw areas, and temporary (and in rare cases permanent) loss of sensation in the lower jaw due to damage of the inferior alveolar nerve that provides feeling to the lower lip and chin.