Though wisdom teeth will often erupt safely, they can just as often fail to do so. Those in the latter group get stuck in the gums, becoming impacted and causing health problems. Dealing with them properly thus requires the help of your local dentist. As for the specifics on these points, your La Crosse dental practice will gladly fill you in. Keep reading to learn about the health issues that come from impacted wisdom teeth.
Impacted Wisdom Teeth Cause Health Issues
Impacted wisdom teeth are bad enough on their own, but they also cause health problems when left unchecked. The most common of these issues are:
Decay & Nearby Tooth Damage
To be honest, plaque doesn’t just gather on an erupted wisdom tooth. It can also build up on impacted teeth whose surfaces have reached above the gums. In this latter scenario, bacterial film can turn into tartar and cause nearby teeth to develop cavities. Such decay would also put your other pearly whites at risk of infection.
Severe Gum Infection
Impacted wisdom teeth are often hard to clean, as they grow at odd angles. This reality can result in plaque building on adjacent gum tissues, leading to gum disease. Such an infection counts as pericoronitis – inflammation of the gums around a partially erupted tooth. If it isn’t treated quickly, it can eventually progress into full-blown periodontitis.
Oral Tumors & Cysts
If your wisdom tooth doesn’t fully erupt, fluid might gather in a sac surrounding it. The sac would then become a cyst that pushes against your neighboring gums, teeth, and bone tissues. Over time, this pushing will cause some pain, not to mention jaw fractures or tumors in worst-case scenarios. A cyst-related tumor might even force you to get tissue or bone removed.
See a Dentist for Your Impacted Wisdom Tooth
If there’s any good news, it’s that you can avoid the above problems by seeing a dentist. They’ll gladly provide you with a safe and effective extraction that improves your oral health.
A dentist’s wisdom tooth extraction is always smooth and ache-free. After all, the treating dentist numbs you with local anesthesia beforehand. This measure ensures you don’t feel pain as the dental team makes incisions in your gums and removes the tooth. Once they’ve gotten the pearly white out, the dentist easily cleans the site and closes your wound with stitches.
In the end, your impacted wisdom teeth don’t have to cause health problems. Just see your dentist for treatment before any issues arise!
About the Practice
All Smiles Implants and Family Dental is based in La Crosse, WI. Led by Dr. Robert Sapner, our practice is driven to give you the healthy, gorgeous, and dreamy grin you deserve. We thus offer many tailored dental treatments, from simple dental checkups to complex wisdom tooth extractions. Whatever your smile needs help with, rest assured that we’re on the case! For more details or to book a visit, please contact us on our website or by phone at (608)-668-6415.