As we reached the end of our teenage years, how often did we hear about someone of acquaintance having their wisdom teeth removed because of the misery they caused? Wisdom teeth are quite misunderstood and many throughout Riverside have a number of conflicing opinion about them. Common questions that patients ask us include:
- Why do we even have wisdom teeth if we always have to pull them out?
- Will they cause me oral illness and/or fever?
Well, let’s take a look at the facts.
Wisdom of Wisdom Teeth
Typically wisdom teeth come during the late teens or early twenties; therefore, they are named after our “age of wisdom”. But not everyone will experience the same, some have all four of them, some only have two or three, and some don’t have any at all. Some people experience high fever from their growth in the mouth, while others don’t even know they exist.
Wisdom teeth are a third set of molars located in the very back of the mouth. Sometimes they may be misaligned causing crowding of existing teeth or damage to neighboring teeth, jawbone and the nerves. In some cases, they cause more serious health problems such as tooth decay, swelling, tenderness and bad breath due to being partially stuck under gum allowing an opening for trapping food and bacteria with them.
If you experience unpleasant feelings inside the mouth, it is best to schedule an appointment with a local dentist. A good dentist will be able to provide you with a viable solution before wisdom teeth begin to affect your dental health. Extracting a wisdom tooth before it is fully impacted in the gum or completely grown out with others, can be accomplished as easily as removing normal tooth. Because extractions may include dental surgery, recovery may vary. Nevertheless, most wisdom tooth extractions heal within 1 to 2 weeks.
Dr. Mehta and Associates provides safe and afordable dental procedures including wisdom teeth extractions. Feel free to schdule a dental appointment at either our Riverside office or our Temecula office!
