Wisdom tooth extraction: expert advice
Recently, this topic has become so popular, so we decided to understand it in detail and find an answer to the question that worries everyone.
Wisdom teeth raise many questions, because it seems to everyone that they do not interfere and that you can live with them. Is it really necessary to delete them and when should you do it? These and other questions were answered by Maxim Khyshov, founder and chief physician of the Refformat clinic, maxillofacial surgeon, implantologist.
A wisdom tooth is an ordinary tooth that has a structure similar to all other teeth. Often these teeth are called “eighth teeth” or simply “eights”, for which there is a logical explanation. If we count the number of teeth in each half of the lower and upper jaw (starting with the central incisor), then each wisdom tooth will be exactly the eighth.
Each person has the rudiments of wisdom teeth, and the maximum number of “eights” that can appear is four (one – on each side, top and bottom, respectively). However, this does not mean at all that all four teeth must be cut through: there are situations when a person in his entire life does not feel the presence of “eights”.
As for the time of the appearance of wisdom teeth, it is also individual. An important role in this process is played by the size of the jaw and the available area in the oral cavity, that is, is there enough space for the normal location of the “eights”. In the case when the jaw has a modest size and there is not enough space for the wisdom teeth, they may not appear or grow very slowly, shifting the seventh teeth to the center. The eruption process can last from several months to 2-3 years.
In ancient times, it was the eights that helped people chew hard and rough food. Just imagine: the size of the jaw of a primitive man was 10-14 mm wider than that of our contemporaries! It is not surprising that the wisdom teeth fit easily in it and performed their functions excellently.
However, gradually the need to chew hard food disappeared, over time the jaw became narrower, and today wisdom teeth are less and less common. Currently, dentists call them rudiments, that is, they have lost their purpose in the course of evolution.
In 99% of cases, wisdom teeth are recommended to be removed
Firstly, their position is rarely correct, and secondly, these teeth do not participate in the bite, being, in fact, a “trash can” in the oral cavity (on the “eights” chronic inflammatory processes often develop, plaque accumulates, cysts form) …
When to remove wisdom teeth
In addition, there are specific cases when it is necessary to remove wisdom teeth. For example, if there is not enough space on the jaw for the “eights” to take the correct position. Another indication for the elimination of this tooth is partial eruption, in which cleaning the wisdom tooth (s) becomes difficult and sooner or later caries forms on it.
If the process is running, the doctor determines what kind of manipulations need to be performed: remove the eighth tooth or continue its treatment. The wisdom tooth is also required to be removed when it is a focus of inflammation as a result of complicated caries.
The operation to remove wisdom teeth is performed under local anesthesia and takes 10 to 20 minutes, depending on the complexity of the removal. In terms of follow-up care, the main recommendations are as follows:
• do not eat or drink for two hours after the operation;
• on the day of surgery, you cannot brush your teeth and rinse your mouth;
• it is necessary to refrain from hot drinks during the day after the operation;
• physical activity is prohibited 2-3 days after the performed manipulations.