Wisdom Teeth Symptoms
Wisdom teeth symptoms are generally seen when those teeth are impacted. Wisdom teeth are the last to develop in our mouths. They normally develop at the age of seventeen to twenty five, when we are considered to develop enough wisdom, and hence they are called wisdom teeth. They are also called third molars. If developed and erupted properly, they can become a valuable asset to the mouth. But unfortunately, most of the times, they don’t. As they make their presence at a very late stage, the space in the mouth is all occupied by other teeth and they don’t get any of it, as most of us have small jaw sizes. Due to this, there are many problems associated with their development. Firstly, their growth pattern may be faulty. This means, instead of growing straight outwards, they grow in horizontal position, in any direction, i.e. towards or away from the second molars or inward or outward. Other problem is, they don’t erupt fully. They either erupt partially or remain completely embedded in the gum or jawbone. When such problems are associated with the wisdom teeth, they are said to be impacted.
When wisdom teeth impaction occurs, symptoms like pain, swelling, redness, headache and general illness are seen. Pain is predominant, in any type of wisdom teeth impaction. This is because, when these teeth are misaligned, they try to push the neighbouring teeth, in order to make a room for themselves. The pain becomes severe and needs immediate attention. It is developed at the sites of these teeth and area around them. Sometimes headache also occurs along with this pain or alternatively. Pain-killers are useful only for getting temporary relief.
Simultaneous with the pain, swelling occurs at the area around the impacted wisdom teeth. The jaw too can swell. Pain and swelling are major among wisdom teeth symptoms.
Redness occurs because more blood is drawn toward the impacted site. This is meant for providing the site more oxygen and other nutrients, so that it can recover faster.
When the wisdom teeth are partially erupted, they form an opening which is prone to attract bacteria and, thereby, infection. Fully embedded wisdom teeth too can develop cysts. Cysts are fluid-filled pockets and denote infection. Very rarely, tumors too can develop on the site of partially erupted or fully embedded wisdom teeth. All these symptoms need prompt treatment and can be dangerous, if neglected.
Wisdom teeth symptoms are not seen always and people wonder, why the teeth should be removed. The reason is, though initially these teeth may seem unproblematic, they can give rise to complications in future. They are easy to remove at young age, as their roots are not developed so as to get a tighter grip and the bone too is less compact. As the age grows, these two factors develop stronger and then if the problem arises, the wisdom teeth become problematic to remove. Studies say that after the age of 30, wisdom teeth are the most problematic to remove. Your dentist or oral surgeon can best decide if your wisdom teeth should be removed or not, by examining the x-rays. Whether you get wisdom teeth symptoms or not, you should therefore, visit the dentist to get your wisdom teeth examined.