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    • Wisdom Teeth - Are We Wiser Without Them?
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Email: drhcleong@leongdental.com.sg

The Wisdom Tooth

PictureImpacted 3rd Molar
What is meant by 'impacted wisdom tooth'?

A tooth (any tooth) becomes 'impacted' when it is blocked from erupting (coming out of the gums). 
The blockage can be due to:
  1. Soft tissue of the gums, 
  2. The bone, 
  3. The surrounding teeth. 

In the case of lower wisdom teeth, the most common situation is that the wisdom tooth is tilted forward, and as it erupts, it is blocked by the root or crown of the second molar. 

Read more in 
Wisdom Teeth - Are We Wiser Without Them?
Surgical After Care
Information about Surgical procedures
Medisave
PictureTooth Decay
How does an impacted lower wisdom tooth cause problems? 

The most problematic, and unfortunately, the most common situation is where a lower wisdom tooth partially erupts tilted forward rather than vertically, and becomes impacted against the second molar. 
This commonly creates a large space between the 2 teeth that traps food and which is extremely difficult to brush or floss because of the rough surface of the wisdom tooth.
 

PictureGum Infection
The common outcomes of this situation are 
  1. Caries (tooth decay) on the root of the neighbouring tooth (i.e. the second molar) and sometimes the wisdom tooth 
  2. Gum infections (periodontal disease) from food getting stuck in the space and irritating the gum tissue around the space. 

Upper wisdom teeth can also be impacted and cause the same sort of problems. 

PictureGum Disease
There are also situations where although the wisdom tooth does not provide any benefit to the patient, it is not likely to cause harm. These cases usually involve wisdom teeth that are so deeply buried in the jaw bone that the process of surgically removing them will cause a lot of damage to the bone. 
Are there any risks in leaving these buried teeth in place? Of course. In some (rare) cases a cyst may form around the tooth in later life damaging surrounding bone. The cyst can (even more rarely) cause a tumour/cancer. 

Normal Hours : Monday to Friday 9am to 7pm, Saturday 9am to 6pm

Contact : +65 6222 7075 (Voice)   
Email : drhcleong@leongdental.com.sg 

Emergency : +65 96711096  (Voice/SMS/Whatsapp)


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© 2017 All Rights Reserved. Dr H C Leong Dental Surgeon LLP. UEN: T08LL1404J ​
​All information here is general in nature, is covers common situations. It is not possible to cover all possible situations and should not be used as a substitute for specific professional advice on your specific situation.