BEN H. BRITT, JR., DDS, PA

In the last edition of the blog, we discussed the first of 4 major issues that determine whether or not someone will need their wisdom teeth removed. We talked about the age ranges that we see people typically need to have their wisdom teeth removed.

Today, we are going to talk about Spacing, or rather lack there of, and how it relates to the need for wisdom teeth removal.

Really this discussion is about the lack of space in someone’s mouth, which usually leads to wisdom teeth that are impacted. When I say impacted, I mean that they are “locked in” either by your gums or bone and will never be able to come in. This becomes a problem due to the angle that the teeth are usually situated that causes them to push on the molars in front of them, leading to pain and aching that will be confined to the area or has been known to radiate all the way to the ear. At the very least, this situation can affect your other teeth and create greater crowding.

Next time we will discuss infection and wisdom teeth…

Until then…

Dr. B

Probably the most often questions that I get from patients are those that involve wisdom teeth, or 3rd molars as we dentists call them. The first issue to deal with is whether or not one’s wisdom teeth need to be removed. A professor once told me that the answer “it depends” is one that no one wants to hear, but is probably the answer that is right most of the time. So, what does it depend on?

In my opinion, it depends on on 4 major issues: Age, Space or Lack of, Current Infection, and/or Risk of Future Infection.

The age range is what we will discuss today. There are two distinct age ranges. Those that have them removed preventatively or for orthodontics versus those that have them taken out due to pain. When a 17 -19 year old has signs that their wisdom teeth will cause them problems in the future, we have them “preventatively” removed before any infection or pain starts. If they are not removed during this time period then somewhere between the ages of 21 – 28 is when a number of people end up having them removed due to pain or swelling. This is not to say that once you hit 30 that you are totally in the clear, but your chances of keeping them for the duration sure do go up.

Until next time…

Dr. Britt