Category: Teeth Extraction

Many of us have grown up with jokes around wisdom teeth. We have heard things like with wisdom teeth you will get some wisdom making you a real adult. As we all know, wisdom teeth do not make us any smarter or bring wisdom. They are called wisdom teeth because they erupt after you have entered adulthood, between the ages of 17 to 21 years or your wisdom years. These teeth are right at the end of your teeth, at back. You get one wisdom tooth each at the end of both sides, upper and lower, 4 in all, which will make a complete set of 32 teeth in the mouth.

Wisdom teeth fall in the category of molars, the very tough and very wide teeth, that grow during the life span of human development, designed for eating raw meats, roots and vegetables. But as evolution took place, they may not be crucial for chewing purposes and as the time passed, they have become obsolete. Today, due to advances in dental care and hygiene, they may not be very purposeful since our molars are enough to care of our needs for chewing, and they may hinder the working of other teeth in the mouth. They may not appear at all in some adults, which is explained as our changed jawlines in people due to changes in diet.

Wisdom teeth are the ones which have maximum numbers of issues when they erupt and even after they have come through. Millions of wisdom teeth are extracted every year all over the world. The main cause being lesser space available on the gum for them to be accommodated.

When do dentists see no need to pull out wisdom teeth?

Most people who need to get wisdom teeth extracted fall between ages 16 to 25. Very few people after 30 face issues with wisdom teeth unless they are related to problems other than growth of wisdom teeth. Many dentists advise removal of wisdom teeth because of the potential problems they can create after they have erupted, including, cyst around the tooth, damage to nearby teeth and roots and bacterial growth due to unreachability for cleanliness. But not all dentists agree to taking out teeth which are healthy and do not cause any problems, or seem to be able to cause problems in near future. The see no need to pull out wisdom teeth if they are:

Fully erupted, and healthy, and are well positioned, have a correct bite with the opposite set of teeth, (upper or lower), and when you are able to reach them for brushing and flossing.

When is the need to get your wisdom teeth get extracted?

There are many reasons when you have to decide to get the wisdom teeth extracted with the consultation of your dentist of course. Since the wisdom teeth are wider than other molars, they require more space to emerge from the gums and also to settle on the available space along with other molars. Many wisdom teeth grow and come out partially, or grow horizontally under the jawline and emerge sideways on the gums.

There are signs that will indicate to you the need to get the wisdom teeth extracted, which include the following.

Discomfort at the back of your mouth

The first signal you get for the trouble with your wisdom tooth is the pain or sensitivity right at the back of your mouth which you will not be able to pinpoint at the exact location, but will eventually understand to be in the wisdom tooth. It may start to pain even while you are not doing anything. It may pain while eating or brushing and cleaning your teeth and progress to throbbing sensation. This is a clear indication to see your dentist about this and get it checked.

Painful jaws

When the wisdom teeth that are growing sideways, start pushing other teeth in the line, your jaws will start paining. This pain sometimes grows into agonised movement of your mouth. Opening your mouth brings on hurt. The soreness of mouth is a clear indication to see your dentist about the wisdom teeth extraction.

Swollen tissues around the wisdom tooth

Many people experience inflammation and redness in the gums around the wisdom tooth while it is erupting. It may pain while brushing, and the whole area feels sore.

Development of cysts in the mouth

After a while, when problems with the teeth are not solved, it allows cysts to grow in the mouth (which are fluid filled bags). Cysts can impact the roots of neighbouring teeth resulting in severe pain.

Sinus issues

Sinuses are empty spaces located near the nose and below the eyes which get affected by the problems in the upper jaw. When jaws are inflamed, the sinuses get cramped and may result in congestion, pressure or pain in the sinuses. Pain above the jaws and even next to the nose area is a sign of trouble in the teeth.

Mis alignment in the molars

When you find the neighbouring teeth getting shifted which will be painful, you will need to get the wisdom tooth extracted because it will push the teeth out of alignment which will create further damage.

Bad breadth

When the wisdom tooth is growing in any way that is different from normal, it will be difficult to clean the impacted area because of the pain or because you cannot reach there. This will lead to plaque. When plaque is not cleaned, it will end in growth of sulphur producing bacteria which gives a bad odour to your breadth, and a bad taste in your mouth.

Decay in the teeth and gums

Once there is bacteria in the mouth, it will result in creating cavities in the adjacent teeth.  Bacteria may enter the pockets which have been created by the cysts or by improperly placed wisdom tooth. These pockets will allow bacterial growth and end up in making the gums diseased.

Tooth are meant to last a lifetime, but sadly that is not the case always. Teeth are lost due to various reasons, some of them require that they are extracted to maintain oral health. Tooth decay, gum diseases, crooked teeth, ‘too many teeth’, improper alignment or trauma to the mouth can all result in tooth extraction. Tooth extraction is also required for children where the milk teeth give way to permanent teeth. Sometimes they do not fall off naturally, so they need to be pulled out. But this simple tooth extraction needs to be considered carefully if one is a diabetic.

Diabetes or diabetes mellitus is a condition in which there is a high blood sugar level. In a healthy body, insulin is secreted and this hormone converts the extra sugar into glucose for storage in the body. This forms the source of energy for the body. But in the case of diabetes, the insulin secretion is less and therefore the body is not able to convert excess sugar into glucose. Or it can also be that the insulin generated in the body is not able to function well. The common types of diabetes are diabetes 1 and diabetes 2. The former is an autoimmune system issue in which the cells that make the insulin are destroyed. In the type 2 situation, the body becomes immune to the insulin function and the sugar level builds up in the body.

Having a large amount of sugar level is the blood is detrimental to health. This can affect adversely the working of nerves, kidneys and other major organs. Some of the common symptoms seen with diabetic patients are increase hunger and thirst, weight loss and fatigue. Another major symptom that is seen is the slow healing of wounds. High blood sugar level causes the stiffening of arteries and narrowing of blood vessels. When blood vessels are narrow, it is possible for only a small amount of blood flow. When wounds are formed, for their proper healing it is important to have good circulation of blood. As the circulation is impaired in diabetic patients, less oxygenated blood reaches the wound. Red blood cells and white blood cells which are important for passing nutrients and proper wound healing are not reaching the site of the wound. As a result wound healing slows down. This also results in a faster rate of infection setting in.

Tooth Extraction and Diabetes

The mouth harbours bacteria in huge numbers, they are present in all irrespective of being healthy or diseased. Bacteria act upon sugary substances and are attracted by the presence of sugar content. If the blood sugar level is high, bacteria will thrive in such a condition. Slowly working on the teeth enamel, they erode the protective covering and bring in infection to the pulp and possibly to the root of the teeth. The infection can also affect the gums and slowly they begin to lose the support they give to the teeth. Gum tissues become wasted as a result of bacterial action.  Diabetic people have more chances of tooth decay and gum diseases because of this situation. The high content of sugar in the blood also slows down any possible repair action that can be taken in the oral cavity. As a result the infection can spread.

Medical information

If tooth extraction is planned to preserve good oral health, then the information of being a diabetic must be shared with the dentist. This information will usually be checked during the session when medical history is taken of the patient. Dentists usually check the blood sugar level before extraction and they prefer the level to be 234mg/dl (13mmol/l). If the blood sugar level is higher then wounds formed after tooth extraction takes a longer time to heal. Blood clot formation is also delayed due to a high sugar level. This will result in bleeding from the point of procedure.

A safe procedure

Tooth extraction for diabetes patients is a safe procedure, the healing part takes time and that causes worry in many. But if the sugar level is in control then there is no harm in going for tooth extraction or any other dental procedures. If care is taken in following the medications for diabetes then there will no cause of worry. As with every other person, importance should be given to oral hygiene. More so if you are a diabetic as complications can set in if proper care is not taken.

Studies have shown that those who are on oral tablets have a healing time similar to that of non-diabetes. There is no need for any special precautions to be taken and there will not be any post-surgery complications. After care is also important after the dental procedure as this will help in proper healing. Food that is consumed should also be tracked. Diabetics should reduce the amount of sugary food or good high in carbohydrates, the same is the principle after tooth extraction. Keeping sure that the soft food that is consumed after surgery is low in sugar is very important. If the sugar level spikes up after surgery, then this will affect the healing process adversely. Make sure hard chewy food is not taken as this can put pressure on the part where surgery has been done and can split the suture. Discussing any doubts one has about the procedure with the dentist will be helpful.

Oral hygiene

Practicing good oral hygiene after healing is complete is also important. Brushing and flossing should be followed without any fail. More so if one is diabetic, as bacteria can multiply within minutes of attacking food debris in the mouth. This will attract more infections and dental problems. Going for regular dental consultations and also seeking the help of the dentist if one is not sure of the occasional toothache that comes in will help to keep at bay many dental complications.