Although wisdom teeth are located in those hard-to-reach, easy-to-forget places in the back of the mouth, they can be practically impossible to ignore if they are damaged or infected. Our Glendale wisdom tooth dentists are here to help you understand how wisdom teeth can affect your oral health, and at what point you should seek help from a dentist.
Wisdom teeth are obsolete teeth that emerge behind your back molars. Most patients have them on the top and bottom jaws, though some people do not develop all four wisdom teeth. These teeth stay embedded in your jawbone (just as your adult teeth are before they emerge), until (generally) the late teenage years/early twenties.
When your wisdom teeth begin to come in, and attempt to break through the gum tissue, you may notice:
· That you feel pressure on your teeth coming from behind your molars—wisdom teeth can actually cause your existing teeth to become crowded.
· That you feel pain behind your molars, and that your gum tissue seems irritated or inflamed.
· That you experience more headaches/neck/jaw pain than normal.
Additionally, because it is very difficult for people to effectively clean their wisdom teeth (they very rarely fully erupt, and they are too far back in the smile to reach) these teeth are prone to infection. Plus, the gum tissue around these teeth is likely to develop gum disease.
If you develop any of these problems it is likely that you will experience some discomfort, and potentially bleeding gum tissue. You may also find that your breath starts to feel and smell stale throughout the day.
If you notice any of these changes to your dental health, please contact our Glendale dentist office to complete a consultation. We will help you determine whether it is time for you to undergo wisdom tooth extraction.