Oral Surgery and Extractions

By the age of 18, most adults have 32 teeth: 16 teeth on the upper and 16 teeth on the lower jaw. An average mouth is made to hold only 28 teeth. It can be painful when 32 teeth try to fit in a mouth that holds only 28 teeth. These four extra teeth are your third molars, also known as wisdom teeth. These can lead challenging problems. Why Should I Have My Wisdom Teeth Removed? Pain, infection and crowding may necessitate the removal of the wisdom teeth. Wisdom teeth are the last teeth to erupt within the mouth. When they align correctly and gum tissue is healthy, wisdom teeth do not need to be removed. Unfortunately, this does not generally happen. Wisdom tooth extraction is necessary when the teeth are prevented from properly erupting within the mouth. They may grow sideways, partially emerge, or even remain trapped beneath the gum and bone. Impacted teeth can take many positions in the bone as they try to find a pathway that will allow them to successfully erupt, which can cause many problems. When a tooth partially erupts, the opening between the tooth and the gum allows bacteria to colonize and will ultimately cause an infection, resulting in swelling, fever, stiffness, pain, and sickness. The compression from the erupting wisdom teeth may cause other teeth to shift and possibly disrupt the natural or orthodontic alignment of teeth. The most serious problem happens when tumors or cysts form around the impacted wisdom teeth, resulting in the destruction of the jawbone and healthy teeth. Extraction of the offending teeth usually resolves these problems. Prophylactic early extraction is recommended to avoid future complications and to decrease the surgical risk involved with the procedure. For more information, check out this great summary on extractions by the Ontario Dental Association.