Impacted Wisdom Teeth
A branch of dentistry that includes the treatment of cystic or tumoral pathologies in both soft (cheek, palate, tongue, lips) and hard tissues (teeth, bones) within the oral cavity. It involves procedures such as the extraction or retention of fractured, erupted, or impacted teeth, as well as corrections to assist in prosthetic construction. Additionally, the diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring of oral manifestations of certain systemic diseases are also conducted.
What Does Impacted Tooth Mean?
Teeth that, despite being due to erupt, cannot take their place in the mouth for various reasons are called impacted teeth. The exact source of pain caused by the so-called "wisdom teeth" can sometimes be challenging to determine. Patients often waste time seeking treatment in other specialty clinics, assuming the pain originates from neighboring areas such as the ear, tonsils, or sinuses, leading to continued complaints. This situation can also cause fatigue due to nutritional disorders.
Before the age of 18, X-rays should be taken to evaluate the condition of these teeth. Postponing the extraction of impacted teeth can inevitably lead to the recurrence of infection.
What Complaints Can Impacted Teeth Cause?
Infection: Constant food debris enters between the partially impacted tooth and the surrounding gum. This area cannot be cleaned with a toothbrush, resulting in unwanted conditions such as infection and bad breath. Especially partially impacted teeth can cause recurrent infections, which can be severe and require heavy antibiotic treatment and hospital conditions. Severe infections can lead to abscesses in the jaw-face region and sometimes spread to the body.
Decay: Poorly positioned wisdom teeth can cause decay and loss of the adjacent tooth. They can even affect the roots of the front tooth. These decays can lead to severe infections and unbearable pain in the bone.
Bad Breath: Gaps between partially impacted wisdom teeth and the gum can lead to constant bacterial growth due to food particles, resulting in bad breath, especially in the mornings.
Pressure Pain: If an impacted wisdom tooth applies pressure to neighboring teeth during eruption, it can cause pain. In some cases, this pressure can lead to decay in the front tooth. It can also cause unexplained headaches, eye, face, and shoulder pain.
Tooth Misalignment: Although there is no definite study on this, impacted wisdom teeth, especially, can cause misalignment over time in the front teeth.
Focal Infection Source: The human body is in constant battle with bacteria accumulating around impacted teeth. This means there is a continuous influx of bacteria from impacted teeth to the bloodstream. This is crucial, especially for rheumatism and heart patients. Therefore, as people age, extraction of impacted teeth becomes necessary.
Cyst and Tumor Formation: According to studies conducted in Turkey, there is a 26% chance that an impacted wisdom tooth may cause harm to the adjacent tooth or lead to cyst formation. If a cyst has formed, the tooth should be extracted, and the cyst should be removed to prevent further growth and bone destruction. In rare cases, cysts originating from wisdom teeth can spread to large areas and are detected in routine X-rays taken during examinations. This condition can sometimes progress without symptoms (pain).
Who Can Extract Impacted Teeth?
In our country, dentists who are specialists in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, commonly known as Oral, Dental, and Jaw Diseases and Surgery Specialists, receive specialized training in this field. Throughout their specialization, these dentists perform surgical procedures for impacted teeth as a routine task.
What Is the Most Suitable Time for Extracting Wisdom Teeth?
Theoretically, the time when two-thirds of the root of the tooth has formed, which usually falls between the ages of 18-22, is considered the most suitable. Surgical procedures at a younger age are technically easier, and recovery is quicker and smoother. As age increases, the procedure becomes a bit more challenging, and the recovery period extends.
Procedures for 20-Year-Old (Wisdom Tooth) Operations
The surgical extraction of these impacted teeth within the jaw should be performed by a specialist in a modern setting. The operation is usually carried out under local anesthesia. General anesthesia is preferred in cases where there is a fear of nausea reflex and excessive anxiety about the procedure. The operation typically takes 20-30 minutes. After an operation performed under ideal conditions with an expert team, complaints are minimal. Swelling at the extraction site during the healing process is considered normal.