It is time to talk about wisdom teeth’ s impact on dental health now.

So what are wisdom teeth?

Wisdom teeth are the third and final set of molars, located at the very back of the mouth. They are called wisdom teeth because usually they appear in people’s late teens or early twenties, or as they usually say: “old enough to have gained some WISDOM.”

In case a wisdom tooth is healthy and properly positioned, it does not not cause any problem, you do not have any wisdom tooth symptoms. my experiences show that wisdom tooth pain symptoms reach almost everyone sooner or later.

If there is a problem with wisdom teeth, you’ll experience wisdom tooth pain immediately. You shouldn’t ignore wisdom teeth pain at any time, since it can be a sign of wisdom teeth infection.

Don’t they?

The followings can cause wisdom tooth symptoms

• In case they are misaligned after getting through the gums. – Normally this require wisdom tooth removal.
• In case wisdom teeth break only partly through your gums, and causing a flap of gum tissue to grow over them where food can become trapped and a gum infection can develop. – The removal of wisdom teeth is not necessary.
• Wisdom teeth can also come out crooked or facing the wrong direction. More often, one or more of these third molars fails to emerge in proper alignment or fails to fully emerge through the gum line and becomes entrapped or “impacted” between the jawbone and the gum tissue.
• Impacted wisdom teeth can result in swelling, pain, and infection of the gum tissue surrounding the wisdom teeth. – Wisdom teeth extraction is a must.
• In addition, impacted wisdom teeth can cause permanent damage to nearby teeth, gums, and bone and can sometimes lead to the formation of cysts or tumors that can destroy sections of the jaw. Therefore, dentists recommend people with impacted wisdom teeth have them surgically removed.

Note, that it’s not just wisdom teeth that sometimes become impacted and need to be removed. Other teeth, such as the cuspids and the bicuspids can become impacted and can cause the same types of problems described with impacted wisdom teeth.

As already mentioned, healthy wisdom teeth often does not cause any symptoms. Symptoms of wisdom teeth that may mean your wisdom teeth need to be removed, are:

• pain or jaw stiffness near an impacted tooth
• pain or irritation from a tooth coming in at an awkward angle and rubbing against your cheek, tongue, or top or bottom of the mouth
• an infected swelling in the flap of gum tissue that has formed on top of an impacted tooth that has partially broken through the gum
• crowding of other teeth
• tooth decay or gum disease if there’s not enough room to properly care for the wisdom tooth and surrounding teeth

Most problem with wisdom teeth develop in people between the ages of 15 and 25. If you are older than 30, you’ll probably need wisdom teeth removal in case you experience some wisdom teeth pain or any other wisdom tooth infection symptoms mentioned above.

The most common treatment for wisdom tooth IS extraction.

However, experts disagree about whether to remove a wisdom tooth that is not causing symptoms or problems. Oral surgeons generally agree that removing a wisdom tooth is easier in young ages (usually in their early 20s), when the roots and the jawbone are not completely developed. In the late 20s and older, the jawbone tends to get harder, and healing generally takes longer.

If you happen to have impacted wisdom teeth, and need to have them removed, you can choose to be put under during the surgery. Being awake during that can not be too pleasant…

Here is my own wisdom tooth extraction recovery story

My gums bled a lot after the surgery and I had to keep putting gauze on them. I was swallowing so much blood that I had to throw up. I didn’t get any sleep the first night. I stayed in bed for a week straight, only getting up to catch a bite. Eating anything took FOREVER. I remember tearing off tiny pieces of bread and just putting it in my mouth and swallowing. I couldn’t chew, nor did I want to.

I was prescribed some pretty strong pain pills (it is usually given for wisdom teeth pain relief) that made me sleepy, and I fell asleep without taking them the next night and woke up with severe jaw/head pain. I didn’t eat anything solid for almost a week. It was really hard. Some of my friends asked me how did it feel to get drugged, but I don’t remember it as something pleasant.

My pain was so strong and intensive, I have never felt something like that before. I could not concentrate at work, and I could not relax at home either. The only thing I could think of was wisdom tooth pain relief!!! It is one of the worst physical pains I have ever felt.

Finally after a week, life started to get back to normal. The experience was quite hellish though. My brother had two of his wisdom teeth removed, and he was fine after a day or two, so it varies from person to person. Thanks to my Mom, I received the best wisdom tooth extraction aftercare anyone could get. Thanks, Mom! LOL

Some words about the wisdom tooth extraction cost in general

My wisdom teeth removal cost around £800 (all 4), but it did not include the aftercare and the medication. In general, you can say, that you pay approximately double as much as for a normal tooth extraction.

Some suggestions

So if you are recognizing the symptoms of an impacted wisdom tooth, at first you should go to your dentist. Your dentist will examine your teeth and gums for signs of a wisdom tooth coming through your gum or crowding other teeth. You will have X-rays to find out whether your wisdom teeth are causing problems now or are likely to cause problems in the future. If you couldn’t get an appointment at your dentist as soon as possible, there are some home treatments which can help you to wait until the dentist takes care of you. Use an ice pack on the outside of your cheek. Apply it for 20 minutes, then remove it for 20 minutes. Repeat as needed. Gently rinse your mouth with warm salt water every 2 to 3 hours. Do not use heat or put an aspirin directly on your gums. Aspirin used in this way can damage your gums!