Wisdom teeth extraction

Wisdom teeth extraction is among the most common small oral surgery practices and requests.

What are wisdom teeth?

Wisdom teeth are also called third molars; are called "judgment" because tend to erupt in the adult individual, from about 17 to 30 years of age, even if their eruption may occur earlier, later, or not at all.

Why do we have wisdom teeth?

Our wisdom teeth are a ancestral heritage, a "legacy" left to us by our ancestors; primitive men, in fact, had a diet very different from ours: they ate raw meat, raw vegetables and roots, hard foods that they were able to chew thanks to 4 extra teeth.

Over the millennia, thanks to changes in diet, habits and thanks to evolution the third molars (four in all, two above and two below) have become unnecessaryIn some people they erupt without giving problems, in others they do not erupt at all and for other people it is necessary to remove them.

Whatever the situation, not having them has no negative consequence on chewing or phonation.

Evolution in several centuries will lead to humans being born directly without wisdom teeth: some people are already born without them!

Why can wisdom teeth cause problems?

With evolution, the size of our jawbone has decreased, which is why wisdom teeth - being the last to erupt - are often the last ones to be erupted. do not have room to position themselves correctly along the dental arch and their eruption can cause an imbalance that adversely affects the entire dental structure.

It can happen that the tooth only partially erupts: in this situation it is very difficult to practice a good oral hygiene and frequently the teeth will be damaged.Tartar builds up, resulting in the risk of caries, which can go on to affect the neighbouring tooth.

Moreover, this situation leads the bacteria contained in plaque to enter the gums and cause painful infections that cause intense pain and/or fever and need to be treated with anti-inflammatories and antibiotics.

Other times the wisdom tooth is completely placed under the gum inside the bone in a horizontal positionIn this way there is no chance that it will erupt and if it starts to cause discomfort because it "presses" on the neighbouring teeth the only solution is to extract it.

How to know if I have wisdom teeth and if I should remove them?

If the wisdom teeth haven't come out the only way to "see" them is to through a panoramic X-ray which shows us their presence and position inside the mouth.

Usually if an unerupted wisdom tooth is not causing discomfort there is no need to remove it; a possible extraction is considered when the tooth causes discomfort or pain.

Does removing wisdom teeth hurt?

Extracting wisdom teeth is a rather quick routine operation performed under local anaesthesiaThe duration of the procedure depends on the complexity of the individual case: an already erupted wisdom tooth is easier to extract than a horizontally placed impacted wisdom tooth.

After surgery it is normal to experience the following symptoms:

• bleeding (first day)
• swelling and bruising
• pain

In order to keep these annoying symptoms at bay, the dentist prescribes a supportive drug therapy.

In the days following the operation it is important:

• sleep with your head elevated by multiple pillows to decrease bleeding
• eat cold, soft foods or liquids
• do not brush the affected part
• not inhale or spit
• not smoking
• not to drink spirits
• not to do intense physical activity

If the pain becomes too intense, the bleeding too profuse, or there are other worrisome symptoms, you should return to your dentist for a follow-up review.