3 Reasons You Should Not Ignore Impacted Wisdom Teeth
Posted on: 28 March 2017
If you are in your early 20s and have not yet had your wisdom teeth extracted, this is something you may need to do soon. Wisdom teeth are molars that grow in the back of your mouth, and they are not really necessary to have. In fact, wisdom teeth often cannot even fit in a person's mouth, and they may end up becoming impacted because of this. If you have not been to a dentist lately and suspect that your wisdom teeth might be impacted, you should visit a dentist to find out. If they are, you will need to have them removed, and here are three reasons dentists recommend removing impacted teeth.
They can be painful
The first thing to understand about impacted teeth is that they can cause pain. A tooth that is impacted is one that will never fully erupt through the gums. Wisdom teeth are often impacted due to their positioning. They might be pointed inwards or outwards, and they are trapped behind the gums. If you feel pain or pressure in your mouth, jaw, ears, or neck, it could be due to impacted wisdom teeth.
They can cause problems to other teeth
Leaving impacted wisdom teeth in your mouth is also a bad idea because they can lead to numerous different problems with other teeth in your mouth. Here are some of the issues they can cause:
- Tooth decay – It is very hard to keep wisdom teeth clean, especially when they are impacted. An impacted wisdom teeth is typically covered by gums, but a small part of the tooth might be sticking through. This small part is prone to decay, simply because it will be hard to clean.
- Shifting of teeth – The pressure caused by impacted wisdom teeth can also push other teeth out of place, and this can be devastating if you spent a lot of money on braces.
- Worn-down teeth – There are also times when wisdom teeth will wear away adjacent teeth from rubbing on them.
They can increase your chances of developing gum disease
The other important thing to understand is that impacted teeth can increase your risks of developing gum disease. This occurs when a small portion of an impacted tooth has erupted through the gums. This portion might be hard to reach in order to clean it, and this can lead to a development of plaque on this small part of the tooth. Untreated plaque can lead to decay, and decay on the gum lines can infect the gums.
If your wisdom teeth are bothering you, or if you suspect they might be impacted, you should visit a dentist to have your mouth examined as soon as you can.
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