Wisdom tooth extraction

A common opinion on wisdom-teeth is that they only mean trouble, and it is best if they do not come through the gums, or if they do, then its practical to have them extracted as soon as possible to prevent greater problems. Of course, these generalizing and rather barbarous opinions lack any basis.

The wisdom-tooth is the hindmost tooth in the mouth, therefore in several cases it does not even come through the gums. In most cases this does not mean any problem, the wisdom-tooth stays in its place until death. If it only partly comes through the gums it may cause some problems as it pushes the gums up in front of it, not providing enough space to have the tooth and its vicinity be brushed well. In this case the simplest solution is to help the tooth and cut the gums round in a routine operation, so that the tooth can come through. In other cases the half-out tooth can become inflamed causing really great pain. If a wisdom-tooth is not settled, but regularly tries to come through the gums causing great pain, then it may even be removed, but this is the ultimate solution. The appearance of a gingival pocket in the surroundings of a wisdom-tooth can be a serious problem. This means that a pocket is formed between the tooth and the gums, which becomes inflamed and partly causes pain, and partly unpleasant breath, which cannot be eliminated by brushing the teeth.

In certain cases the extraction of the wisdom-tooth is a simple dental operation, however, if the tooth is positioned in an abnormal way, or its roots are positioned in such a way, actually a more complex extraction or even an operation may need to be performed.

In opposition to the barbarous opinions mentioned above, the extraction of wisdom-teeth is not at all necessary if they do not mean any problem. These teeth are not at all more vulnerable or stronger than the other teeth.