Do we need wisdom teeth?
I use the only compound word. In biology there is such a concept as RUDIMENT
- a part of the human body that has lost its function in the process of evolution. The most famous rudiment is the vermiform appendix of the intestine or appendix. So - a large number of doctors and people believe that there is nothing superfluous in the body and wisdom teeth can serve a person at an older age, when the loss of basic teeth occurs and the doctor can use figure eights to install, for example, a bridge.
Unfortunately, in most cases this is impossible and even wrong!
Most people simply do not have room in the jaw for eighth teeth, and Mother Nature begins to mock them (and, naturally, us doctors) in every possible way: painful eruption, irregular shape, incorrect size of the tooth itself, poorly developed root system - all of the above leaves no chance for the correct use of “eights”.
How wisdom teeth are formed
Unlike other teeth, the rudiments of wisdom teeth are formed not during intrauterine development, but at 3–5 years, when the child’s body is preparing to replace milk teeth with permanent dentition. At this age, you can determine the number of future eights (and there can actually be from one to four). But at this age, it is not yet possible to detect any possible developmental pathologies.
It becomes more or less clear a little later, the crown part of the wisdom teeth begins to form. The formation process starts in a child at about 12 years of age, but the development of the root part of the figure eight takes several more years and can continue even after tooth eruption. Considering that the most common age for the appearance of wisdom teeth is 18–25 years, the eruption of eights occurs already in adulthood. It’s not for nothing that I said earlier the phrase “actually from one to four,” since approximately 10–15% have no eights at all. That is why it is normal to consider the number of teeth in an adult to be from 28 to 32. Those are wisdom teeth, right? How unwise they treat us and make puzzles!
Correct your bite or dental defect with invisible aligners Find out what it is
Diagnostics
Any pathology associated with the problematic eruption of one or more wisdom teeth should always be investigated through x-ray diagnostics. To determine the position of the tooth in the jaw (inclination, shape, configuration, structure, how it grows), an orthopantomogram is used.
OPTG is a high-quality panoramic image of all teeth on both jaws. Another diagnostic method that will help you understand why your wisdom tooth hurts is visiography.
Cutting out wisdom teeth is a real headache
The “birth” of a wisdom tooth in the oral cavity is always painful. The main reasons for the painful effect are thick walls of the dental sac, thickened mucous membrane and reduced growth-forming factors. In addition to the painful process itself, teething can cause many other complications. Which ones? Let's talk about this in a little more detail.
The wisdom tooth sometimes does not erupt completely, crowding the surrounding teeth. This situation usually entails local inflammation and pain.
The time during which a wisdom tooth is cut can be quite long, and inflammation can constantly bother you, manifesting itself as an increased temperature of the whole body and sensitive pain, which sometimes makes it difficult to even just open your mouth! This condition is fraught with inflammation of the tissues surrounding the problematic tooth, right down to the bone, and therefore requires immediate intervention by a qualified dentist.
The first problem with teething eights is caries.
Often, while a wisdom tooth is growing, it is difficult to effectively clean it (due to the location of the wisdom teeth deep in the jaw). This is how caries occurs. Incorrect positioning of wisdom teeth during eruption also increases the risk of tooth decay on the adjacent tooth due to difficulty accessing the spaces between these teeth. If symptoms of caries appear, you must consult a dentist and carry out appropriate treatment. Very often in this case, it is recommended to remove the wisdom tooth, especially if all other teeth are developed normally.
In practice, it happens that a wisdom tooth erupts already... sick, that is, it becomes infected with caries while still in the gum. In such cases, the figure eight should be removed immediately so that the diseased wisdom tooth does not negatively affect the remaining teeth.
The second problem is a cyst
In rare cases, a cyst and tumor may develop in the tissues surrounding an erupting wisdom tooth, which requires immediate surgical intervention by a dental surgeon.
The third problem is malocclusion
If the position of a wisdom tooth is incorrect during eruption, there is a high probability that such a tooth will significantly affect the position of the remaining teeth, which causes a change in the bite. And aesthetic problems arise - the teeth begin to stand crooked in the mouth. And this entails orthodontic treatment, bringing the dentition in order.
The fourth problem is tongue dysfunction
In addition to aesthetic problems, this can also cause functional problems. For example, if a wisdom tooth is displaced towards the vestibule of the oral cavity, serious injury to the mucous membrane of the cheeks, lips or tongue can occur, causing the appearance of erosions and ulcers.
Fifth problem - the wisdom tooth wanted to erupt, but could not erupt
Rarely, a situation occurs when, due to a lack of space in the dentition or in the case of an incorrect inclination of the wisdom tooth itself, an anomaly develops, called a “submerged wisdom tooth.” Such “submerged” teeth are usually removed.
It is possible that the wisdom tooth does not erupt
at all. Despite its absence, such a tooth is dangerous due to its complications. It can damage the roots of neighboring teeth or provoke neuralgic pain. In this case, you need to contact a surgeon and, most likely, the figure eight will have to be removed.
The sixth problem is pericoronitis
At the moment of eruption of the lower (!) wisdom teeth, when only part of the tooth has appeared, acute inflammation and even accumulation of pus in the formed hood between the gum and tooth can occur. This causes a serious disease called pericoronitis (pericoronitis).
The main symptoms of the inflammatory process during pericoronitis are pain and swelling of the gums surrounding the wisdom tooth, bad breath and an unpleasant taste.
If these symptoms appear during the eruption of a wisdom tooth, you should urgently consult a dentist.
The seventh problem of wisdom teeth is periodontitis
When the figure eight erupts quite smoothly, due to its inconvenient location during brushing, the wisdom tooth is not properly cleaned of plaque. Removing tartar and plaque on this tooth in dentistry is also problematic. Because of this, bacteria begin to accumulate around the wisdom tooth, causing inflammation of the gums - periodontitis, which can then develop into osteoperiostitis. In this case, the tooth must be removed.
How to eliminate pain and discomfort
In the absence of pathologies, it is possible to eliminate pain by taking painkillers Nurofen and Ibuprofen. Ideally, consult your dentist before using anesthetics.
It is impossible to accelerate growth or influence the process, but you can facilitate it by cutting the gum. The decision about surgery is made by the dentist based on the clinical picture.
Minor inflammations can be easily removed by rinsing the mouth with antiseptic compounds and herbal decoctions. Otherwise, all you have to do is wait for the tooth to erupt. A consultation with a specialist will allow you to identify deviations in time and prevent risks.
You can get a quality consultation on wisdom teeth in your city
I want to check my eights!
Treat or remove eights?
Now regarding orthodontic treatment and wisdom teeth. Believe me, it is very unpleasant for us doctors, as well as for patients, to make radical decisions. But there are good reasons! These are your own stories. Stories of patients who underwent treatment with braces as teenagers, achieved excellent results and...
All the beauty of straight teeth, especially the lower incisors (you just started to enjoy a beautiful smile) - it disappears at 20 and beyond. It is when most of us fully develop these “eights”. Two, three and even four years of therapeutic “torment” to correct crooked teeth, transform them into a beautiful/sweet/courageous smile, as they say, down the drain... Yes, yes - the only option to become the owner of beautiful teeth again is repeated orthodontic treatment. It doesn’t matter whether it’s aligners or braces again, the important thing is that there is a good saying: forewarned is forearmed! No one is immune from mistakes and relapse.
Our body is beautiful and magical in that it almost always adapts and compensates for almost any pathology. Therefore, the “eights” cut through with difficulty and subsequently deform
there are very important teeth in front!
So what do we do with eights?
The moral of this story is this: trust qualified and educated doctors, not kind and humane “neighborly” advice. Be wise. Especially at such crucial moments in life, when wisdom teeth make themselves felt. And in general, I wonder who was the first to call them “wisdom teeth”?
Moreover, an interesting point from medical practice: if you (what if?) decide to remove the eights, it is not a fact that they will be removed for you. The reason is simple - wisdom teeth must be removed exactly according to indications. A normal doctor will never remove a healthy tooth just because you want it.
You have decided to remove your wisdom teeth. How traumatic is this?
If the wisdom tooth has grown normally, its roots are not intertwined, removal usually takes place without any complications. The edges of the tooth socket after extraction are often not even sutured.
What is most important after removing the figure eight is to allow the socket of the just removed wisdom tooth to heal. Quite a big wound.
What is absolutely impossible to do?
You should not rinse vigorously, even with such seemingly beneficial solutions as chamomile or calendula.
What needs to be done.
To get rid of food debris, you need to carefully take water into your mouth and do short oral baths without intensive rinsing. Instead of water, you can use a solution of chlorhexidine, miramistin or analogs specially sold in pharmacies - they disinfect the oral cavity. And so - for at least three days. If this recommendation is neglected, the hole may become inflamed. Then the dentist prescribes treatment with medications, including antibiotics.
What if the roots of an insidious wisdom tooth are intertwined or fused?
Unfortunately, in this case complications cannot be ruled out - soft tissues may be damaged. If an inflamed tooth is removed, in rare cases the neurovascular bundle (!) of the lower jaw is injured. In this case, separate treatment may be required.
Recovery after surgery
The removal of the figure eight itself is painless, since it is performed under anesthesia. But due to injury to the gums and bone socket, after the anesthetic wears off, the figure eight, or rather the periodontal tissues, hurt for several days. Painful sensations after a simple removal usually go away within 2-3 days, after a complex one they can persist for about a week. On days 2-3, swelling increases, which subsides after 2 days and the pain subsides. After the intervention, the doctor gives recommendations regarding care, nutrition, lifestyle, and prescribes drug therapy - antibiotics, painkillers, anti-inflammatory drugs, antihistamines.
When is it advisable not to remove wisdom teeth?
There are situations when the “seventh” or “sixth” chewing teeth must be removed. And in this situation, a wisdom tooth that has grown correctly may still be useful. It will become one of two supports for the future bridge. However, in this case, a healthy sixth (or fifth) tooth will suffer, because it will have to be treated for an abutment crown.
Now a little about sad things
. 10-15 years will pass, the bridge will “work out” its required operating time. And sometimes it will no longer be possible to insert an implant - the atrophied jaw bone under the bridge will not allow it: in the absence of teeth, any person develops edentulous bone tissue. Thus, on the horizon of life there appear removable jaw dentures and newfangled gels that make them easier to wear.
Now a little about the positive
.
In such situations, you can initially consider dental implantation in specialized
medical centers, where they will help restore bone volume and take control of the dental situation.
When do you need a doctor's help?
If the figure eight hurts, you should immediately consult a dentist. Consultation with a specialist is also necessary for pain of unknown etiology - squeezing, spreading over the entire jaw, occurring when chewing or opening the mouth. After examination and diagnosis, the doctor will decide what to do next with the molar. If the growth of a wisdom tooth is accompanied by swelling, redness of the gums, and acute pain, the doctor will prescribe anti-inflammatory therapy.
If eruption is difficult due to the gingival hood, an operation will be performed to excise it and drug therapy will be prescribed.
What do we do after removing the eights?
We evaluate the possible damage that figure eights could cause to neighboring teeth. If the adjacent teeth are deformed, then the pathology may spread like a domino effect, and here it is already necessary to carry out systemic orthodontic treatment aimed at correcting the disturbed bite.
The most gentle and aesthetic type of dental correction today is aligners. The site provides a lot of information on aligners, but I would like to mention one undeniable advantage, namely, the patient can see the result of his treatment with aligners without even starting it! How so, you ask? The answer is simple - all future treatment of the patient is calculated using modern computer technology. The example below shows a real clinical case, a patient with crowded teeth caused precisely by the pathological effect of “eights” on neighboring teeth.
Indications for removal
- Pathological eruption of the figure eight (partial or complete retention, dystopia), accompanied by pain, chronic inflammation of the gums, destruction of adjacent molars, malocclusion, damage to the jaw joint and other problems;
- 3 molar has erupted outside the dentition, leading to crowding;
- inability to carry out treatment or prosthetics due to limited access to the dental unit;
- the presence of complications - cysts, granulomas, periostitis, periodontitis;
- orthodontic treatment - figure eights must be removed if they interfere with the installation of a corrective apparatus or prevent the teeth from taking the correct position when correcting the bite.
Let's see how wisdom teeth led to crowded teeth
And how crowded teeth are eliminated with Star Smile aligners
The video shows how the 3D setup is done. I am commenting on the video, orthodontist Alexander Spesivtsev, clinical director of Star Smile, a doctor with many years of experience in the successful use of aligners in orthodontic practice. To restore straight dentition, the wisdom teeth themselves—the eights—had to be removed. At Star Smile, or rather in the clinics of its partners (more than 70 cities in Russia), any treatment begins with diagnosis and drawing up a virtual setup. The doctor takes photographs of the patient’s face, dentition, as well as x-rays and dental casts. Using special software, the obtained data is processed and a three-dimensional model of the patient’s dental system is obtained. And this already allows you to calculate the trajectory of tooth movement, treatment time, and the required number of sets of aligners. Also, the final result of the treatment will be visualized - the patient will be able to evaluate the aesthetics of the smile after treatment. Patients really like this approach - they can see their future smile, their straight teeth. The forecast of a 3D setup when straightening teeth with aligners comes true in almost 100% of cases. You see, this is completely different from correcting a “blind” bite, as is usually the case with braces. Everything is clear here, without any guesswork or assumptions.
Gevorkyan Oscar Vladimirovich
Candidate of Medical Sciences, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon, Central Scientific Research Institute, Scientific Consultant Star Smile “ If you are faced with questions
:
- To remove or not to remove wisdom teeth?
- How dangerous is it to remove wisdom teeth?
- When do wisdom teeth interfere with orthodontic treatment?
- and most importantly, is it possible to avoid the removal of “eights”?
Feel free to contact the doctors at Star Smile, they will help you understand this sometimes complex, but very important life problem for many.
Do not delay the decision in order to avoid possible complications in the future.” Since the Star Smile company is represented in all federal districts, large and medium-sized cities of Russia and interacts with many clinics and orthodontists, we offer you the opportunity to undergo a free consultation with high-quality orthodontists in your city , where you can discuss the problem of wisdom teeth and determine the optimal solution for you. To do this, you need to fill out the form below, a Star Smile medical specialist will contact you and help you by scheduling a consultation at a convenient time or providing your doctor’s contact information.
Don’t put off the problem of wisdom teeth “for later”!
How to relieve pain?
At the first unpleasant sensations from a growing wisdom tooth, frequent rinsing with Chlorhexidine, Miramistin or Eludril solution helps. If you can’t run to the pharmacy, you can prepare a soda-salt solution: dissolve 1 teaspoon of soda and salt in one glass of warm boiled water.
Supporters of traditional methods can use oak bark, sage and chamomile. To do this, you need to take 3-4 tablespoons of the mixture, composed in equal proportions, and pour 500 ml of boiling water. Leave for an hour and strain before using.
Rinses are effective only if the pain is caused by the natural process of tooth eruption. All of the listed drugs, both pharmaceutical and home-made, relieve swelling well and suppress the activity of pathogenic microflora in the oral cavity.
If symptoms of an attached infection have already developed: fever, swelling, severe swelling, surgical intervention will most likely be required: removal of either the hood or the tooth itself. In order to reduce the risk of complications, the doctor will definitely prescribe antibiotics.
Please note: it is strictly forbidden to prescribe antibiotics to yourself!
But painkillers should be taken before visiting the doctor. In this case, the following are effective:
- Broad spectrum analgesics
. Analgin, Ketanov, Paracetamol relieve pain for several hours, usually from 1 to 5. It is also possible that the tablet will not work at all. You can increase the dose, the main thing is to strictly follow the instructions. - Anti-inflammatory drugs.
Nurofen, Ibuprofen, Diclofenac can not only provide a powerful analgesic effect, but also relieve fever and reduce swelling. - Ointments, gels, sprays for topical use
. Holisal, Metrogyl Denta, Kamistad, Angilex “freeze” any sensations in the sore gum for 2-3 hours.
An ordinary piece of ice relieves pain well. It needs to be wrapped in a cloth and applied to the external projection of the diseased tooth on the cheek. Hold for no more than 5-7 minutes. Do not put ice directly on the gum. Its tissues are too delicate and direct contact can lead to necrosis.
The most original folk method of getting rid of toothache when a wisdom tooth comes out: take a plantain leaf, wash it and roll it into a tube. Then you need to insert the sheet into the auricle, but always on the side on which the tooth hurts. Dentists call such methods useless. But this method does not cause any harm. So why not try?!
