Wisdom Tooth Symptoms - In Your Local Area

Wisdom Teeth - When Push Comes To Shove in Your Child's Mouth

When a child's permanent teeth appear, there's usually some push going on, hopefully in the right direction. Although any tooth can jostle its neighbors, the teeth that have the worst reputation are our third molars -- our wisdom teeth. They're the last to come out and often shove other teeth out of their way.

Most mouths can't usually accommodate wisdom teeth, and they end up pressuring the rest of the teeth, disrupting their alignment. They can often cause pain and swelling.

Routine X-rays, done when a person's around age 12, give us early warning of problem molars and tell us whether they need to be extracted. Wisdom teeth, like troublesome neighbors, everyone's a lot happier when they've moved out!

+Jim Du Molin is a leading Internet search expert helping individuals and families connect with the right dentist in their area. Visit his author page.

Oral Surgery: The Solution to Wisdom Tooth Impaction Oral Surgery: The Solution to Wisdom Tooth Impaction Oral Surgery: The Solution to Wisdom Tooth Impaction

Oral surgery is frequently a part of growing up and developing wisdom teeth. Many people don't have the space in their mouths for their wisdom teeth, so the teeth aren't able to come in straight.

Impacted wisdom teeth happen when the developing wisdom tooth pushes into the tooth next to it. This can be quite painful, but some patients don't experience pain and don't realize they have impacted teeth.

That's why wisdom teeth dentists take x-rays. This enables a dentist to see how much the teeth have developed so far and where they look to be headed.

If the patient has impacted wisdom teeth, then the dentist will recommend oral surgery to remove the wisdom teeth. Simple extractions may be performed by a general dentist in his or her office under local anesthesia (like Novocain), but more complex cases will be referred to an oral surgeon.

During wisdom tooth oral surgery, the dental surgeon surgically removes the problematic teeth. (Most people get all four wisdom teeth removed, but that's not true for everyone.) In general, wisdom tooth surgery is easier to perform on younger people, as their wisdom teeth are still developing and haven't fully hardened to bone.

A visit to the wisdom tooth surgeon is not an inevitable part of becoming an adult, but for many people, it's a wise investment in their long-term dental health!

+Jim Du Molin is a leading Internet search expert helping individuals and families connect with the right dentist in their area. Visit his author page.