Wisdom teeth come through much later in life than other adult teeth, which can cause issues when they do. Your dentist may recommend the removal one or more wisdom teeth if there is lack of room in the mouth, or the teeth are coming through at an odd angle. Fortunately, this is a very common procedure and there is no need for concern.
If you’re experiencing discomfort due to your wisdom teeth, call the friendly team at Dental on Beams on 07 3862 8300 or book online.
Wisdom teeth generally erupt between the ages of 17 and 21 and often cause discomfort. If there is a lack of room in the mouth, or the teeth come through at an odd angle, problems can arise. Partially erupted or misaligned wisdom teeth can also lead to recurring infections and damage to the surrounding teeth and jaw.
The removal of wisdom teeth is a very common procedure. In most cases our experienced dentists can remove problematic wisdom teeth. Certain cases may be referred to a specialist dentist, to ensure the best result and your comfort.
Wisdom teeth reside in the four back corners of your mouth. They usually erupt at a later date to that of your other adult teeth, often around the ages of 17 to 25.
They get their name because a person is at the end of high school or in their university when they tend to erupt, a stage of life when they gain much wisdom (supposedly).
Lack of room in the mouth
Coming through at an odd angle
Partially erupted (causes infection)
Wisdom tooth pain can occur when there is a lack of room in the mouth or if the tooth comes through at an odd angle. Partially erupted or misaligned wisdom teeth can also lead to recurring infections and damage to the surrounding teeth and jaw.
Tooth pain: The eruption of wisdom teeth is often heralded by pain in the back of the mouth. It can be mild and intermittent, lasting for a few days and then subsiding. It can happen on and off for weeks or even years. If the pain becomes unbearable, and talking and eating become too difficult, please book in to see your dentist. This can be due to the erupting teeth pressing into the nerves in your mouth.
Redness and swelling: Erupting wisdom teeth can also be signalled by swelling and redness in the gums around the area.
Shifting teeth: Wisdom teeth can be bullies. If there isn’t enough space for them in your mouth, they will still erupt and shift other teeth out of their way, leading to misaligned and crooked teeth. If your dentist thinks your mouth won’t be able to accommodate the arrival of your wisdom teeth, they will often advise removal ahead of time to negate this issue.
Impacted tooth: Sometimes wisdom teeth can be stopped from erupting by your jawbone or other teeth, which causes them to be “trapped” beneath the gum line. This can cause pain and will need to be attended to by a dentist.
An x-ray will show any issues with impacted teeth ahead of time and your dentist will often advise the remove any impacted wisdom teeth before they begin to erupt so you don’t experience this discomfort
Oral infections: As your wisdom teeth emerge and break through the gum, bacteria can get trapped and cause infection. Signs of an infection include:
⦁ Swelling
⦁ Redness
⦁ Pain
⦁ Tenderness in your jaw
⦁ Bad breath
⦁ A foul taste
Cavities: Food can become trapped around your emerging back molars, which can lead to cavities. Cavities can also develop in the teeth in front of your back molars when there isn’t room to properly brush or floss. Make sure to brush and floss thoroughly around the area when your wisdom teeth begin to erupt.
Wisdom teeth removal is a very common dental procedure. In most cases our experienced dentists will remove any problematic wisdom teeth at our clinic.
Certain more complicated cases may be referred to a specialist to ensure the best result and your comfort. For your convenience, we have a specialist dentist visit our dental surgery on occasion.
We also understand that the idea of this procedure may be stressful for some patients. If you’d prefer to be put to sleep with a general anaesthetic for the procedure, we can assist in arranging this.
If your wisdom teeth aren’t causing any noticeable pain or discomfort, then they can simply be monitored with your twice yearly dental check-ups. At your general appointments, we can check to see if they’re erupting and if they’re likely to cause problems at a later point.
Due to the fact that they generally emerge around that time of life when we’re sitting for high school or university exams, it can be a wise option to have them removed before they are causing issues to avoid complications when you need to be studying.
We offer a range of interest free payment plans to further make going to the dentist as easy as possible for our patients. We are partnered with ZipPay, AfterPay and National Dental Plan.
Reusable account
Interest free
Flexible payments
No deposit
If you have any questions regarding your wisdom teeth, don’t hesitate to contact our friendly team on 07 3862 8300 or book online.
