When we get our wisdom teeth in, it can be a pretty painful experience. And if they get infected, it can hurt even more. For the vast majority, the eruption of the wisdom teeth can cause tremendous amounts of pain and discomfort, so a trip to the dentist is in order. But, what can you expect from these wise teeth?
We don’t really know for sure why we get these extra teeth during our adolescent years, but a common theory is that our ancestors needed the extra teeth in order to eat properly. And if you think about it, the early human diet consisted of nuts, roots and raw meat, all of which aren’t the easiest to chew so it makes sense that this extra set was necessary. But these days, our food is cooked and much easier to chew, so the added teeth do more damage than anything.
Because our wisdom teeth can become impacted, or squeezed into little space inside your mouth, it can lead to more problems down the road. If it gets to the point of infection, it can spread to also affect your throat. Other complications resulting from impacted wisdom teeth are cavities, unnecessary tooth movement, tooth decay or gum disease. There are also cases where the erupting of the wisdom teeth changes the way your teeth comes together, causing a dental malocclusion.
No matter how you look at it, removing the wisdom teeth is the only way to relieve any related pain and prevent future dental complications. So as soon as you feel some pain coming on, take some ibuprofen and make a dental appointment ASAP.
If you would like more information about wisdom teeth, call Dr. Katia Doumit in Ottawa, Ontario at 613-232-8000.
Dr. Doumit proudly serves Ottawa and all surrounding areas.