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Wisdom teeth and Impacted wisdom teeth
Wisdom teeth are also known
as third molars are the last teeth to erupt. This occurs usually between the
ages of 17 and 25. There remains a great deal of controversy regarding whether
or not these teeth have to always be removed. It is generally suggested that
teeth that remain completely buried or un-erupted in a normal position are
unlikely to cause any harm to the patient. However, if these impacted teeth are
in an abnormal position (a dentist can show you this on an x-ray), their
potential for harm should be assessed and their removal should be discussed
with the dentist.
In dentistry wisdom tooth
can are sometimes classified as being either a Soft Tissue or Bony impaction. A
"Bony" impaction is one where the wisdom tooth is still fully encased
in bone. A "Soft Tissue" impaction refers to a wisdom tooth that has
erupted through the bone somewhat, but not yet through the gums.
If the tooth is position
wrongly, a condition known as impacted wisdom teeth may occur.
The primary cause of wisdom
tooth impaction is simply that there is inadequate jawbone space behind the
person’s second molar, in the back of the mouth. It is not known how this lack of space occurs but usually the size
of teeth may be a reason.
Some people theorize that
the rough nature of a cave man’s diet caused an extensive tooth wear not only
on the chewing surface of the teeth but also affecting the teeth neighboring
each other. In comparison the diet of currentman does not typically result in
severe tooth attrition.
Why certain individual’s
wisdom teeth should be extracted should be explained to them by their dentist,
after a careful examination which almost certainly will need to include x-rays.
While each person’s situation is different there are some common reasons for
wisdom tooth extraction:
Wisdom teeth, either
partially or fully erupted, can often be very difficult to clean effectively
and therefore may be a source of tooth decay to the molars around them. An erupted wisdom means that the wisdom
tooth has, at least to some degree, penetrated through the gums – this type of
teeth is prone to decay if not cleaned properly. Typically it is the partially
erupted impacted wisdom tooth which is more unpredictable or troublesome for a
person than an impacted wisdom tooth which has never broken through the gums.
Wisdom teeth, also known as
third molars are the last teeth to erupt. This occurs usually between the ages
of 17 and 25. There remains a great deal of controversy regarding whether or
not these teeth need to be removed. It is generally suggested that teeth that
remain completely buried or un-erupted in a normal position are unlikely to
cause harm. However, if these impacted teeth are in an abnormal position (a
dentist can show you this on an x-ray), their potential for harm should be
assessed.
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