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Wisdom Teeth Care & Signs That You Need Them Removed

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Common knowledge regarding wisdom teeth is that they should be removed before they cause an infection or pain. But some dentists are starting to doubt that need, saying you might be able to keep your wisdom teeth with proper care and the watchful eye of your dentist. The following guide will show you how to care for your wisdom teeth and signs that it might be too late. 

Wisdom Teeth Care

First and foremost, you should keep up with regular visits to your dentist should you decide to keep your wisdom teeth. This is important because wisdom teeth tend to get infected. In fact, only 10 percent of patients have wisdom teeth that are all healthy. The reason is they are hard to reach, and some people do not clean them well. 

The following is one trick you can do to keep your wisdom teeth clean:

  1. Brush your teeth as you would normally.
  2. Move your lower jaw to the right to brush the wisdom tooth on your right and vice versa. Moving your lower jaw should help you reach your teeth easier. 

You can talk to your dentist about other tips that may be helpful to keep your wisdom teeth healthy. 

Signs That May Indicate Trouble

Care may help, but it does not guarantee that your wisdom teeth will not give you any trouble, and you should be ready for that as well. This is important because troublesome wisdom teeth can cause a number of problems like the following:

  • Bite issues if the tooth sprouts out of your gums in a misaligned way
  • Cysts may develop around your wisdom teeth, causing some nerve damage or gaps in your tooth lineup
  • Sinus pain due to the change in your tooth lineup
  • The gums themselves may not be able to take the change and begin to swell
  • Cavities can afflict your wisdom teeth because you can't care for them well or due to the inflamed gums
  • The general alignment of your teeth might be compromised, causing things like pain to facial deformity. 

You may not be able to see some of these issues on your own, which is why you need to make sure your dentist is aware that you want to keep your wisdom teeth. 

The only early symptoms that may be obvious to you are the following:

  • Jaw pain or stiffness
  • Pain directly around your wisdom teeth
  • Swelling around your wisdom teeth

For more information, contact Dr. Peter L Drob or a similar professional.


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