When Do My Wisdom Teeth Need to Be Pulled?
Wisdom teeth are the last molars on your upper and lowers jaws and are the final teeth to make their appearance in your mouth. While your wisdom teeth can come in and be perfectly fine in your mouth, there are often complications with how they grow in. If you experience any of these symptoms, it may be time to get your wisdom teeth pulled.
Signs You Need to Have Your Wisdom Teeth Pulled:
- Your wisdom teeth don’t fit in your mouth. Most people only have room for 28 teeth in their mouth, which is how many you should have before your wisdom teeth come in. If there is nowhere for them to go, your wisdom teeth can become impacted and either not fully erupt or begin growing in sideways.
- You have chronic pain in the gum area around your wisdom teeth. Jaw pain around your these teeth can signal problems, especially if those teeth are only partially erupted. If this is the case, food and bacteria can get trapped in your gum and develop into a painful infection called pericoronitis. Having your wisdom teeth taken out will help prevent the infection from getting worse.
- Your wisdom teeth are impacted. This means those teeth are growing in sideways or misaligned, rather than straight. This can cause your other teeth to move or become damaged over time. It’s important to have impacted wisdom teeth removed quickly so you don’t put your healthy teeth at risk.
- You develop a cyst around the wisdom tooth: If you notice a sac filled with fluid forming around any of your wisdom teeth, you need to see your dentist or oral surgeon. Cysts can destroy the nearby bone or tooth roots, and if left untreated, can develop into tumors that require more serious surgery.
Contrary to popular belief, having these teeth is not as bad as most people think. You don’t feel a thing and get to snack on mashed potatoes for a week’s time. While it still isn’t the most fun activity, removing your wisdom teeth is necessary to keeping your regular teeth healthy.
Are you experiencing any of the mentioned problems? Come in to Ronald Murphy Dentistry , and have your teeth checked. Dr. Murphy will be able to diagnose your problem and either fix the problem himself or refer you to the appropriate specialist. Call us today at 630-879-7642.