Services
Wisdom Teeth
Wisdom teeth are the last teeth to develop in the mouth. Given their name because of this fact, some people develop extra “supernumerary” teeth and some do not even develop any.
The issue with wisdom teeth is that not everyone has enough space in their jaw for the wisdom teeth to erupt. Sometimes, this leads to the teeth only partially coming through the gum. Furthermore, wisdom teeth do not always erupt in the right direction and have been known to sit horizontally facing the tooth in front of it.
There are several general reasons as to why wisdom teeth need to be removed:
• Due to their partial eruption, a lot of food collects around the tooth and leads to continual gum infections around the tooth.
• Due to the awkward direction of the tooth when it erupts, it can damage the tooth in front of it or the tissue (such as the cheek) around it.
• As wisdom teeth are located at the back of the mouth, many people find it difficult to clean their wisdom teeth leading to the decay of the tooth. In these cases, it is usually easier and also dentally better to remove the tooth for the patient’s long term oral health.
The reason why the extraction of wisdom teeth has such a bad name is because of the difficult position of the tooth and the unpredictable shape of its roots. Every year, many wisdom teeth are removed without any problems; however, there are definitely difficult cases. Unfortunately, like most things, it is the negative stories that are heard more often and this has led to the negative connotations surrounding wisdom teeth removal.
If any case is considered too difficult to carry out at Healthy Smile Dental, we have a list of very capable and professional oral Surgeons that we refer our cases to. Furthermore, if any patients wish to have their surgery done under General Anaesthetic, we would need to refer them to the Oral Surgeons as well..
