Is it Wise to Remove Your Wisdom Teeth in Hamden?
Ninety eight percent of adults go through teething pain in their 20’s or 30’s. When our first teeth came in, years earlier, we had teething rings and frozen carrots to alleviate the pain. But as we’ve gotten older and wiser, those final teeth can cause a lot of pain when they finally make themselves known and our Dentist in Hamden is the one we count on to help.
We often refer to those third molars as the Wisdom teeth and the term goes as far back as Aristotle. In Aristotle’s day, 20 year olds could be wise.
Interestingly, before the Industrial Age, impacted wisdom teeth weren’t a common problem. As our food got softer, our jaws got smaller, and there just wasn’t enough room for those last four teeth to come in.
When the wisdom teeth come in, whether they are impacted or not, they can cause crowding in your mouth with other teeth, making them crooked, or making them shift. In some cases you may experience infections or cysts because it’s difficult to take care of those molars so far back in your mouth. Bacteria and plaque can build up causing a host of other problems.
There are some tell tale signs that you need to talk to your dentist in Hamden, about getting your wisdom teeth removed:
- Pain in the back of your mouth
- Swollen or tender gums
- Bleeding gums
- Earaches or headaches
- Stiffness or pain in your jaw
- Swelling in your jaw
- Consistent sinus issues
- Overcrowded or crooked teeth
- Cysts near your wisdom teeth
- Repeated tooth infections or cavities
- Bad breath
- Difficulty eating
- Pain located on your tongue or cheek
Any of those symptoms are causes to make an appointment. It could be a sign that you have an impacted wisdom tooth.
Your dentist will examine your teeth, complete some x-rays, and advise you of the next steps. Your dentist may recommend extraction, or you may keep your third molars, monitoring them to make sure that you don’t experience difficulties in the future.
Most procedures can be done quickly and in one visit. For more severely impacted teeth, surgery might be required. Local anesthesia will be used and the procedure itself should be a pretty pain-free experience.
After you have the tooth removed, you should avoid exercise for the first couple of days to prevent clotting and stay on soft foods, kind of like getting your tonsils removed. Ice cream and kefir, Jell-o and Applesauce. And did we say ice cream? Not only is it a treat, the chill will help to keep the swelling down.
Yes, the same soft foods that made our mouths evolve to the point where we don’t need our wisdom teeth are the same soft foods that can help us in the healing process when they are removed.
Aristotle said “Doubt is the beginning of Wisdom”. So, if you are in doubt about whether you need to have your wisdom teeth removed in Hamden, make an appointment.