Impacted Wisdom teeth - Wisdom Teeth

Impacted Wisdom teeth
Mr Massoud Hosseini Ardehali

Impacted wisdom teeth are usually the last teeth to erupt into the mouth.
In many people there is insufficient room for the wisdom teeth and so they become stuck ( impacted).
Impacted wisdom teeth occasionally become infected and painful.
Removal of impacted lower wisdom teeth can be difficult.

This section is intended to give you the relevant information concerning impacted wisdom teeth and their surgical removal under general anaesthesia at one of the local Private Hospitals where I work.

What are wisdom teeth ?

Teeth form within the jaws and reach their correct position in the mouth to enable efficient chewing of food. The last teeth to develop and appear in the mouth are the third molars. There are usually four of these and they grow through the gum at the back of the jaws in the late teens. Supposedly this is the time when most people are becoming wise ! Hence the more familiar

terminology - wisdom teeth.

What is impaction ?

Most teeth are upright. Impacted teeth are those that are stuck at any angle against the teeth in front or, less commonly, against the bone at the back of the jaw (distoangular). They are, therefore, either totally or partially trapped within the jaw bones. In other words, they are totally unerupted or partially erupted.

Distoangular impactions are usually more difficult to remove.

What causes impaction?

The food that primitive man ate contained much sand and other abrasives. This resulted in wearing away not only the surface of the teeth, but also between the teeth. They were therefore, smaller. Additionally, the food was tough and required much chewing. Consequently the jaws were more muscular and larger. The combination of these factors meant that there was plenty of room in the mouth for all thirty two teeth. Nowadays, however, the diet of civilised man is soft and the above factors do not apply. So there is insufficient room for the last teeth which try to emerge into the mouth. They become impacted.

PROBLEMS CAUSED BY WISDOM TEETH

Infection Food can get trapped under the gum flaps around impacted teeth. Germs can grow in this rotting food and cause an abscess. If the infection discharges then there is simply some bad taste. If not, there is swelling of the surrounding flesh. The resultant pain is proportional to the extent of the infection. The face can become swollen and the jaw muscles go into spasm.

Decay The abnormally positioned wisdom teeth are difficult to keep clean. They are more likely to get decayed and can cause toothache. More seriously, food trapping can also damage the adjacent tooth.

Crowding All teeth have a tendency to move forward. Many patients complain of pressure in front incisors when the wisdom teeth are coming through. Some believe that the additional force of the erupting third molars can contribute towards the overlapping of the front incisors. However, the experts, based on many investigations, dispute