An average adult will have a total of 32 teeth. Wisdom teeth are the upper and lower third molars, located at the very back of the mouth which usually erupt between the ages of 17-21 but this varies from person to person.
People have problems with wisdom teeth because when coming through food and bacteria can get trapped between the gum and erupting wisdom tooth which can lead to an infection if not kept clean or similar to this the gum can become inflamed due to food and bacteria being trapped and the inflamed gum can start to cover the partially erupted wisdom tooth again catching more food and when biting together you keep catching the gum causing more pain and leading to further infection. To avoid this problem we'd ask patients to make sure they are brushing the wisdom tooth either though it is only partly through and we would encourage them to take salt water rinses just to help avoid infection. If you have this problem you will find that it is tender and you might have swelling in that area leading which might affect how wide you can open your jaw.
Sometimes people dont clean their wisdom teeth effectively and this causes cavities if caught
earlier by your dentist they can usually put a filling in but if the cavity is deep dentists usually prefer to take the tooth out then do a root canal filling as its more difficult and the success rate is lower than the average root canal filling. When a small cavity appears people can usually feel the hole with their tongue or might experience some sensitivity, in worse cases where the hole is deep enough to tooth the nerve the patient will experience constant pain becoming worse with hot and cold drinks or foods.
Another problem can be that your jaw isn't large enough for the wisdom teeth to come through and this can cause them to grow in different angles and can cause the jaw to ache. This is called impacted wisdom teeth for this your dentist will see the problem before the wisdom tooth surfaces on x-rays and should advise you get them removed surgically to avoid any future problems. Sometimes if the tooth has already erupted the dentist should be able to take it out with any problems. In this case patients experience a dull ache in their jaw or may even experience headaches.
If you experience any of these signs you can call The Dentist on 01922 624 900 we offer a 24/7 emergency service and deal with many wisdom teeth cases throughout the year.
Walsall, 57 Liskeard Road WS5 3EY
