Wisdom Teeth (Third Molars)

At present, some of the patients, with ages between 20-35, apply to our clinic due to complaints of pain on single side of their faces, also spreading up to the ear and occasionally, pain at the back of the last tooth – especially on the lower jawbone.    Clinical examinations reveal that such complaints arise due to impacted or erupting wisdom teeth .

The teeth normally expected to completely erupt through the gum line at the age of 20 fail to do so, particularly in cases where the lower jawbone is too narrow for all the teeth to grow on, meaning that the teeth are visible in the mouth, but cannot function.

In such cases, wisdom teeth start pushing the teeth in front of them, which would result in a sense of pain. In some other cases, half of the teeth remain under the gum while the other half erupts and would decay as a result of improper brushing due to this anatomical situation and also cause the back side of the adjacent front teeth to decay.  In this case, pain occurs not only by the pushing movement to due improper eruption, but also by the decay itself.

In rare cases, a wisdom tooth pushes the frontal tooth before growing out of the jawbone, causing osteolysis in the root of the frontal tooth. Every case as mentioned above would result in serious pain, where some patients would suffer from simultaneous eye pain or ear pain while others would experience a severe bitterness and pain when that area is touched. The solution is to pull out these teeth.

SHOULD ALL WISDOM TEETH BE PULLED OUT?

No, wisdom teeth functioning without any problems need not be pulled out.

IS DENTAL RESTORATION APPLICABLE TO WISDOM TEETH??

Yes, it is. If the tooth crown is sufficiently exposed upwards, then dental restoration can be applied to these teeth.  The dentist may encounter with no problems since the teeth are lined up normally in such a case.

IS ROOT CANAL THERAPY APPLICABLE TO WISDOM TEETH?

Yes, it is. Root canal therapy can well be implemented on wisdom teeth just as it can on any other teeth. The problem here is, the structure of wisdom teeth’s root canals (the tiny chamber accommodating the nerves, which are removed during root canal therapy) is quite amorphous.  Both this amorphous structure and the wisdom teeth being located at the very rear side of the mouth can make this treatment quite difficult and affect its success. Research studies indicate that root canal therapies implemented on wisdom teeth have higher failure rates than other teeth.

IS IT MORE DIFFICULT TO PULL OUT A WISDOM TOOTH? HOW LONG WOULD IT TAKE?

EYes. Pull out operation can be more difficult as compared to other teeth in cases where the wisdom tooth is impacted or semi-impacted. It would not be wise to indicate certain times for dental pull out operations. Size, position, bone or tissue connection of and mouth opening range for every tooth would be different.

WOULD I HAVE MORE PAIN AFTER THE PULL OUT?

Usually, yes. Dentistry Research Studies Based on Proof has revealed the fact that patients feel more pain after a wisdom tooth is pulled out. This pain can be felt at the pull out area, whereas occasionally it can be observed at the reciprocal joint on the opposite side. Severity of the pain varies, depending on the bone density at the pull out area, operation time and pain threshold of the patient.