Impacted wisdom teeth can cause a variety of problems and they often must be surgically removed. Your dentist can help detemine
if you have impacted wisdom teeth or if another condition is causing your discomfort. Understandably, the thought of having a tooth
removed can be overwhelming but delaying care could lead to serious and permanent problems.
This is important because impacted wisdom teeth that aren't removed can cause problems such as gum disease, crowding,
teeth decay and cavities. To reach the impacted tooth, an incision is made in your gum, creating a flap that can be peeled back
to expose the tooth. An impacted wisdom tooth that has partially emerged may be removed by forceps, but if it's fully impacted
or if the roots reach deep into the jawbone, the tooth may have to be broken into pieces for removal.
You may need stitches to close the gap in your gum. The socket where your tooth was located is packed with gauze to control
bleeding and to help a clot form, which promotes healing. Get a dentist who is sympathetic and willing to listen to your concerns.
Don't be embarrased about your anxiety - it's common, especially when you must face s procedure that can be uncomfortable.
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Hi Halim. I want to share my own personal experience with one of my wisdom which was growing sideways and because my jaw couldn't fit that new tooth, it started to put pressure on its neighboring tooth.
Somehow it began to rot and finally the cavity exposed the nerve which stung every time a tiny piece of food went into it. The thought of having to undergo a dental surgery terrified me and I stuffed the cavity with tiny pieces of swab dipped in toothache solution to kill the pain. Wallah, it worked! I applied the remedy for almost a month until one day I grew tired of it.
Finally after two years of enduring pain that constantly come and go like Chipsmore cookies, I visited the dentist and a small x-ray procedure disclosed that the procedure can be a little complicated (to me and not to the doctor). As the tooth was growing sideways, he had to cut the tooth into two, remove the outer piece to make room for the second procedure. To negotiate the second procedure, he cut my gum (no, I hardly feel it as the left jaw, gum and cheek was totally numb - I asked for a higher dosage of those magical solution). Anyway, I could actually feel the effort to extract the root as my tooth was dense - must be from the milk I consume all this while.
After a dramatic effort (I won't go in detail here), the root finally came out. It was followed by stitches which was due for removal in one week' time. I was expecting for major pain once the numb effect wears off and I didn't mind to rely on painkiller round the clock. Surprise surprise, no pain at all until the next visit to the dentist! I tell you, that dentist was superb! Not every dentist is willing to perform this surgery unless he/she is really a pro.
And now, I have one tooth less but I am so much happier as I do not have to deal with such pain anymore. My Japanese advised me to remove the other 3 wisdom teeth, the doctor advised the same but since they don't mess with my mind, I'll just keep them for now. Plus, the procedure cost me RM500! Crazy! But worth it.
Say hello to Kojay for me.
You need to ask around and make sure the dentist is familiar with the procedure and usually for wisdom tooth extraction, x-ray is needed to see the orientation of the targeted tooth (I stand corrected).
A friend of mine had the same problem and the dentist pulled out the tooth blindly (assuming the growth is normal) and two pieces of the roots were broken inside. It was impossible to remove the roots at that material time as she was so much in pain. After two days of torture, she managed to seek a dentist who had enough guts and experience to remove the roots. The few other dentists she approached earlier didn't dare to offer remedy, which was OK as they were being honest.
I have an impacted tooth, and it's really affecting me badly. The pain has spread to my jaw, and I don't know how long I can bear it. I've been managing but with pain killers only. My dentists told me it has to be removed via surgery as soon as possible. I blogged about my experiences, please go check it out.