By Arthur Kezian

You will notice that the final teeth that will develop would be your wisdom teeth or the third molars. Yes, you have four wisdom teeth and they come out between the ages of 17-21 years old.

Sometimes, the wisdom teeth fail to come out and they often become trapped or impacted in the jawbone area. It is termed “impacted” when it fails to erupt in the dental arch within the expected time. The reason why it fails to come out is that the adjacent teeth, overlying bone, or excessive soft tissue is preventing it to erupt. Some of the abnormal positions of wisdom teeth can be tilted, sideways, lying down or even twisted and these positions can be seen if you have a panoramic x-ray taken. Remember that your wisdom teeth are retained unless it is surgically removed by an emergency dentist.

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Another reason for it to become “impacted” is that because of having inadequate space in your jaw.  Sometimes, you would also experience pain or swollen gums on that area of your jaw. It means that food, bacteria and plaque has started to infect the area. This usually brings about mild to severe pain and infection can be brought about. You may have what they call “Pericoronitis”. Extraction should be performed as soon as your dentist determines that the tooth is impacted or infected.

A dental surgeon would always advise you to have it removed at a younger age because a wisdom tooth extraction becomes more difficult as you age. The reason behind this is that younger patients can tolerate the procedure better and recover more quickly and has less interference with their daily lives. The ideal time for removal of impacted third molars is when the roots of the teeth are one-third formed and before they are two-thirds formed, usually during the late teenage years, between ages 17 and 20.

Having impacted wisdom teeth which sometimes are in an unusual position and can cause the following:

Crowding or displacement of the other teeth

• Tooth decay
• Infections
• Gum problems

The removal of impacted third molars is a surgical procedure that is associated with a large amount of patient anxiety. In addition with this type of surgical procedure, sometimes it can involve unpleasant noises and sensations. As a result, surgeons who would routinely perform the removal of impacted wisdom teeth commonly recommend their patients some type of profound anxiety control such as conscious sedation which includes oral sedation and IM/IV sedation and even general anesthesia as well.  Nitrous oxide or “laughing gas” is an option for controlling your dental anxiety as well.

Whatever method you and your surgeon would choose, rest assured that you are in good hands. Just make sure that you follow your Los Angeles emergency dentist pre and post operative instructions and the result of this treatment will be to your utmost comfort. The more you understand about dental procedures, the easier it is to make informed choices about all the available treatments. So if there are any dental questions you would like our thoughts on, please ask Arthur Kezian by by giving his office a call. He and his staff always look forward to providing you with answers.

Dr. Arthur A. Kezian DDS 443 N. Larchmont Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90004 (323) 467-2777