Problems of Wisdom Tooth

It is very difficult to brush and floss wisdom tooth thoroughly and properly because it is located at the far end of the jaw and also because of its malaligned position. As such, impacted wisdom tooth often traps food and bacteria and a person will have a higher risk in developing tooth decay, periodontal disease and pericoronitis.

Wisdom tooth in awkward position make it hard for cleaning. Cavities are thus formed because dental plaque remain on the surface for prolong period. Cavities will then lead to decay. Decay are usually easily solved by filling. But just imagine, because wisdom are in awkward position, and even with toothbrush it is a hard-to-reach area, what's more a dentist's tool? Even if filling is successfully the tooth still remain as difficult to clean properly and you will run the risk of having decay at the adjacent tooth as well. Tooth decay can affect second molar because malalignment of wisdom tooth provide gap with adjacent tooth which make its hard clean out the food particles trapped.

Other than tooth decay, the bacteria found in the dental plaque that accumulates on and around the tooth can lead to the formation of periodontal disease ("gum disease"). This will damage the gum and also the bone surrounding the tooth. As a result, wisdom tooth will decay and may need to be extracted. Again, gum disease also is not only isolated to the the wisdom tooth. It can also affect the adjacent 2nd molar which may need to be removed as well if there is serious damage.

Lastly, wisdom tooth that is only part way through the gums it is at risk for developing pericoronitis. This is tenderness and swelling of gum because of debris trapped in the space between the gum and crown of wisdom tooth. The space is formed because gum tissue is at about same level on all teeth and gum tissue is never attached to the crown portion. So when part of a wisdom tooth has partially erupted through the gum, an opening, which lies between the gums and the crown of the submerged wisdom tooth, is formed. There is no way this space can be cleansed. Hence, trapped bacteria will cause infection and result in swelling.

All these problems can be solved by removal of wisdom tooth. To prevent problems associated with impacted wisdom teeth, it is advisable to remove them early. It would be a shame to damage or lose your second molar simply because a wisdom tooth you could not clean properly was not extracted.