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It is very common for babies to have that phase when they cry excessively because of the growth of their teeth . This is certainly not a totally painless process and their crying really happens for some reason. But those who think that teeth are born only in children or babies are mistaken. Many adults suffer from the birth of the famous wisdom tooth and may even have problems because of it. But what exactly is the wisdom tooth? Why does he take so long to be born? Is it always necessary to extract it? These and other questions will be answered in today’s text. Read now and check it out!
What is the Wisdom Tooth?
Also known as third molars, wisdom teeth are the last to be born in a human being. Its eruption usually occurs between the ages of 17 and 21 , but there are reports of teeth that were born after that period. There are four teeth, two at the bottom and two at the top, one on each side, of course.
Because they are born in a phase where our body formation is practically complete, many people simply do not have much space in their mouth for them to be born, making their eruption a problem. Another common thing to happen is that the birth of these teeth occurs incorrectly, which can cause inflammation and several complications for a person.
Why does wisdom tooth extraction need to be done?
When a dentist checks a patient’s wisdom teeth, he takes several aspects into consideration before deciding whether or not to have the extraction done. Some of these aspects are:
- Whether or not there is room for the wisdom tooth to be born
- If oral hygiene is not compromised due to the wisdom tooth’s birth
- If these teeth tend to constantly ignite
- If they “push” the other teeth, thus hindering their formation
- If they are in contact with the root of other teeth
It is also worth mentioning that not all teeth should always be extracted, although it is very common that when one tooth is born inappropriately, the others are also born.
How is the Wisdom Extraction done?
In cases where wisdom teeth need to be extracted, a relatively common procedure needs to be done. First, a dentist applies anesthesia and then begins the extraction process, which can take between 10 minutes in very easy cases, even more than an hour , in really complicated cases.
If a patient needs to remove more than one wisdom tooth, a dentist may choose to extract all of them on the same day, if this is a simple and quick procedure. If it is one of the complicated cases, the patient will have to go to the office more often for the procedure to be completed. The effects of anesthesia usually last between 4 and 5 hours and it is usually recommended that the patient not eat or drink anything during this time.
Care after wisdom tooth extraction
Although this is considered a very simple surgery, it is important to take some precautions in the postoperative period to avoid any type of inflammation or similar problem. The main precautions are:
- Clean possible bleeding with gauze to prevent infections
- Use a cold compress in cases of swelling
- Avoid very hard foods in the first days after extraction
- Avoid eating in the first hours after anesthesia
As you can see, these are very simple procedures, but they can make all the difference for the extraction to be a success.
Main Myths About Wisdom Teeth
Because it is a type of tooth that can cause a lot of pain or even bigger problems, it is very common to hear stories about what they cause and the dangers they bring. But are they all true? Let’s talk now about the main wisdom teeth myths and explain why you shouldn’t believe these stories. These myths are:
- All wisdom teeth need to be removed
- Wisdom Teeth have no Function
- All People Have Wisdom Teeth
Let’s talk more deeply about each of them separately.
All wisdom teeth need to be removed
This is not true . Although there are many cases in which wisdom teeth can affect the structure of other teeth and even their bite, it is common to see cases of people who have enough space in their mouths for the wisdom tooth to be born without causing any problems. And in such cases, it is very rare that they need to be removed.
Wisdom Teeth have no Function
It is common knowledge that wisdom teeth were very important in some part of our history, when our diet was based on tougher roots and nuts. Nowadays, the foods we eat are much softer, which has meant that, over time, they are not used as much. Even so, wisdom teeth nowadays help in the grinding of food and in chewing , as long as they have a good development, of course.
All People Have Wisdom Teeth
Just as it is not true that all cases of wisdom teeth need to be removed for prevention, it is also not true that they are born in all people . There are several cases in which they simply develop well and do not need to be removed.
Wisdom teeth are part of our body and we need to know how to deal with the fact that they can eventually bring us some kind of problem. As much as the inflamed wisdom teeth cause pain and great discomfort, the procedure for their extraction is quite simple and effective to eliminate the problem at once. And when that kind of problem is gone, we don’t have to worry about it anymore. For this reason, following all recommendations in the postoperative period is also very important.
My name is Dr. Alexis Hart I am 38 years old, I am the mother of 3 beautiful children! Different ages, different phases 16 years, 12 years and 7 years. In love with motherhood since always, I found it difficult to make my dreams come true, and also some more after I was already a mother.
Since I imagined myself as a mother, in my thoughts everything seemed to be much easier and simpler than it really was, I expected to get pregnant as soon as I wished, but it wasn’t that simple. The first pregnancy was smooth, but my daughter’s birth was very troubled. Joana was born in 2002 with a weight of 2930kg and 45cm, from a very peaceful cesarean delivery but she had already been born with congenital pneumonia due to a broken bag not treated with antibiotics even before delivery.
