Your wisdom teeth are the last teeth to emerge in your mouth. These teeth usually don’t appear until the patient is in his or her late teens or early twenties. Many people don’t have enough room in their mouths to comfortably hold these teeth. Our Elmhurst dentists can offer you guidance about how you should proceed with wisdom tooth treatment.
Your semi-annual dental appointments are important opportunities for our dental team to assess how your smile is changing. During your appointment we can give you a better idea of whether or not you require wisdom tooth treatment.
You can help us by keeping track of any changes that you notice with your dental health:
· If you start to feel a sensation of tightness in the back of your smile, let your dentist know—this may mean that your wisdom teeth are attempting to emerge, and putting pressure on your back teeth.
· As your wisdom teeth start to come in, they may come in at different angles. This often leads to dental misalignment. So, if you see that your teeth are moving around, or becoming crowded, it could be related to your wisdom teeth.
· Wisdom teeth, especially when they are only partially erupted, can accumulate bacterial plaque—these teeth are very hard to keep clean. Consequently, you may notice that your mouth tastes bad, and that you have trouble maintaining fresh breath. Let your dentist know if you’re suffering from hard-to-treat bad breath, as this can be a sign of problems with your wisdom teeth as well as gum disease.
When our dental team examines your smile, we’ll be able to advise you as to whether or not you need your wisdom teeth removed. Although not all dental patients require wisdom tooth extraction, this procedure is very important for most adult dental patients to maintain oral health.
Please call our Elmhurst dentists if you need to schedule a consultation or appointment. Give us a call to get started!