Do wisdom teeth that grow sideways need to be extracted?

If wisdom teeth grow horizontally, you should go to the hospital for examination in time. If infections and gingivitis occur frequently, you can consider timely extraction. For the extraction of wisdom teeth, you must master some principles, such as the growth position, repeated inflammation, severe caries, improper growth position, etc. At this time, they should be extracted as soon as possible, because such wisdom teeth are more harmful and can easily lead to severe pericoronitis, etc.

Principles of wisdom tooth extraction

Generally speaking, if the wisdom tooth is in the normal growth position and there is no inflammation, it does not need to be extracted. However, wisdom teeth that are repeatedly inflamed, severely decayed, malpositioned or impacted need to be extracted as soon as possible in order to avoid damaging adjacent teeth and causing other oral diseases.

Wolgen dental experts pointed out: 1. Pericoronitis of wisdom teeth: Since wisdom teeth grow at the very end of the dental arch, they are difficult to clean when brushing teeth, which can easily cause pericoronitis of wisdom teeth. Repeated attacks of pericoronitis will not only cause redness, swelling and pain in the gums, but in severe cases will also cause difficulty in opening the mouth, facial swelling, fever, etc. For such problems, you can first perform anti-inflammatory treatment, and then remove the wisdom teeth after the inflammation is under control to prevent future problems. 2. Severe decay of wisdom teeth: Severe decay of wisdom teeth may even cause pulpitis and require root canal treatment. At this time, removing the wisdom teeth is better than treating them. Because wisdom teeth are located at the very end of the dental arch, they are difficult to operate, difficult to treat, and costly. As humans evolve, wisdom teeth no longer play any role in various functions, and their removal does not have much impact on the dentition. Therefore, for wisdom teeth that have been severely decayed, instead of spending a lot of money and time on treatment, it is recommended that you remove them while also avoiding affecting the adjacent teeth. 3. Wisdom teeth grow horizontally, which may squeeze the front teeth. In severe cases, it may damage the front teeth or make a row of teeth appear uneven, affecting the chewing function. In addition, food debris or bacteria accumulate between impacted wisdom teeth and front teeth, which can easily lead to caries and pericoronitis. Once pericoronitis occurs, it will recur, causing pain to the patient and endangering oral health. 4. Impacted wisdom teeth will affect the bite of the teeth, which will cause symptoms such as jaw pain and bruxism in the long run.

Things to note when you have wisdom teeth

1. Do not lick wisdom teeth with your tongue; 2. Massage, rub the inside of the face gently, until it hurts a little, about 40-50 times a day, and the pain will be relieved after a few days; 3. Be sure to rinse your mouth after meals, preferably with salt water; 4. Eat some heat-clearing foods (bitter melon, lotus seeds, etc.), chrysanthemum tea, honeysuckle; 5. If the pain is severe, you can also take some anti-inflammatory drugs, but go to the hospital for anti-inflammatory treatment as soon as possible when it is convenient; 6. Apply some small ice cubes to the red and swollen areas to relieve pain.

<<: Why do I have a headache in an air-conditioned room?

>>: What causes menstrual migraines?