Possible Complications of Wisdom Teeth

Wisdom teeth, technically called third molars, can cause many serious complications. These complications can include:

  • Damage to your neighboring teeth
  • Cysts and most commonly benign tumors
  • Oral hygiene challenges
  • Decay
  • Gum disease
  • Infection
  • Crooked and crowded teeth

When there isn’t enough space for your wisdom teeth to erupt, they can become impacted, or stuck against your second molars. This can cause damage either from the actual impaction or by creating oral hygiene difficulties.

Cysts can often occur when the sac around an impacted wisdom tooth fills with fluid, causing it to grow in size and damage the jawbone, nerves, and surrounding teeth. Sometimes this can even lead to the development of a tumor in the area. Should this occur, you may require oral surgery to remove more than just your impacted tooth.

Third molars are far back in the mouth, making them difficult to access and harder to clean. If they are impacted, or partially erupted, this can create space where food can get trapped, fueling the rapid growth of bacteria that can damage your teeth, infect your gums, which can spread throughout your body.

The effects of aren’t only limited to your teeth directly adjacent to your wisdom teeth. When your wisdom teeth try to crowd in, they can push all of your teeth forward, thus causing teeth to rotate or tilt out of place.

Sooner Is Better for Wisdom Teeth Removal

Dr. Kendall and Dr. Fox can typically make recommendations to remove your wisdom teeth long before they start causing you problems. This is better for you because:

  • You can schedule at your own convenience
  • Your procedure will be more comfortable
  • You will have lower risks
  • You can minimize complications

When there is no emergent situation for removing your wisdom teeth, you can arrange to have it completed on your timeline. When we remove wisdom teeth earlier, they tend to be smaller and less bound to the jaw, thereby making the procedure easier. And if the surgical site isn’t infected, this greatly minimizes your risk of developing complications.

Comfortable Wisdom Tooth Extraction

At Excellence In Dentistry we strive to provide all of our patients with 5-Star Dental Service. One of the ways we can improve your surgical experience is with IV sedation, which allows you to achieve a deeper state of sedation. The benefits of this include – a more profound anesthesia and the time will pass more quickly and easily.

Do you want to learn more about the benefits of getting your wisdom teeth removed at Excellence in Dentistry? Please call (907) 349-0022 today to schedule an appointment.