Wisdom teeth are the last teeth to erupt from your gum. There are usually four in total; two on the upper gum and two on the lower gum (one on each side). Wisdom teeth removal services are required when there is a problem with your wisdom teeth. The two most common problems are tooth decay and impaction.

Tooth Decay

Failing to care for your teeth can lead to tooth decay. This occurs when bacteria multiply and start eating away at your enamel. If this continues, the bacteria can eat their way past your dentine (second layer of your tooth) and reach the pulp cavity (the third layer of your tooth that houses blood vessels and nerve endings). At this stage, you will be feeling some pain and might even notice minor bleeding.

If you get to the dentist on time, they can conduct a treatment known as a root canal to remove the pulp (blood vessels and nerve endings) and fill the hole left with a resin and reconstruct your tooth. If you don't visit the dentist early, you might require your wisdom tooth to be extracted since it will have become damaged beyond repair.

Impaction

It is not uncommon for your wisdom teeth to have problems as they erupt. Some may lack the space to erupt correctly, meaning they erupt angled while others may fail to erupt entirely. You can even come across a situation where a wisdom tooth can grow parallel to your gum, meaning it remains inside your gum. Impaction results from genetic conditions or from the fact that you have small jaws that have led to overcrowding and insufficient space for new teeth. It can also result from the fact that you have extremely soft gums.

If caught early, some angled eruptions can be treated through braces, dental headgear or surgery, though often wisdom teeth will simply be removed. Late stages of angled eruptions may mean that the impacted tooth may have been pressing against another tooth for quite some time, causing decay or tooth damage at the point of contact. If that is the case, you might require one or both teeth to be extracted. By the time this happens, you will have been in discomfort and some pain that you might have been taking lightly and consuming pain meds.

If you fall under the category of impacted teeth that grow parallel to the gum, you require surgery to extract the wisdom tooth. Expect the dentist to take an X-ray to help them get a good picture of the position of the tooth and better plan for extraction. Discuss whether you need wisdom teeth removal with your dentist. 

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