What are the signs of wisdom teeth that are misaligned? What consequences can they cause? When should wisdom teeth be removed so as not to damage the adjacent teeth and damage the jawbone? Dr. Nguyen Anh Ngoc at Home Dental will answer those questions in detail for customers in the following article.
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The cause of misaligned wisdom teeth
Wisdom teeth, also known as the 3rd molars, grow in the last position on the complete arch. When people have passed the age of 18, the permanent teeth on the jaw have fully grown in position, this new tooth will begin to grow.
Because of this growth time, wisdom teeth can grow in all positions (vertical, horizontal, impacted…). For more than half of cases of wisdom teeth eruption, because there is not enough space to grow, wisdom teeth have grown misaligned.
The common positions of misaligned wisdom teeth are horizontal teeth, vertical teeth, mesial teeth, and distal teeth.
- Horizontal teeth: This is the most painful wisdom teeth misalignment. The teeth grow horizontally, lying completely under the gum surface.
- Vertical teeth: The teeth grow straight but are fully or partly under the gum.
- Mesial teeth: This is the most common misalignment. The teeth tend to grow toward the front of the mouth.
- Distal teeth: Contrary to mesial teeth, distal teeth grow toward the back of the mouth. This is the rarest misalignment.
From the time of the eruption, wisdom teeth collide with many parts such as the jaw bone, gum tissue organization, adjacent tooth roots, and nerve of the jaw bone and cause harm to these parts. Manifestations of wisdom tooth eruption are painful, swollen gums, swollen cheeks, difficulty in opening jaw joints, headache, bad breath, high fever, etc. which are extremely uncomfortable.
However, not all wisdom teeth are misaligned. There are many people with the 3rd molars growing in line, causing no pain and even helping with the chewing function.
Signs of misaligned wisdom teeth
Misaligned wisdom teeth cause many consequences for oral health. If the customer has ever or is experiencing the following signs, it is an alarm that the third molars are misaligned.
Prolonged pain
Sore, red, swollen gums (or sometimes including swelling in the cheeks) are the most basic signs when wisdom teeth begin to erupt. At this time, the gum tissue gradually cracks to make room for this tooth to grow. And the pain started to appear more and more.
Sometimes the pain is mild, sometimes the pain is dull, and sometimes the pain is intense, accompanied by a headache. When we look in the mirror, we can see the white color of the teeth, which is when the teeth seriously destroy the structure of the gum area.
According to the professional judgment of Dr. Nguyen Anh Ngoc, when the new tooth emerges, there will be a lot of pain and numbness in the jaw. However, by the time the tooth erupts, the swelling and pain will have been significantly reduced and most of us will see this condition no longer. If the pain persists for a long time, then the tooth is likely misaligned and stuck under the gum or is blocking the adjacent tooth.
Having difficulty in eating
When the arch is painful, it is difficult to eat and drink normally. Due to the painful swelling of the gums, other tissues are also damaged. The jaw movement will be slow, stiff, and numb.
The wisdom tooth grows, but the opposite jaw does not have the same teeth. Thus, when eating, the chewing surface of the tooth will grow long, sharp and pierce the opposite gum.
The pain occurs often, reducing the ability to eat and chew. This leads to patients’ unwillingness to move the jaw, creating the habit of chewing on one side. Especially, the pain caused by wisdom teeth makes it difficult to crush food before swallowing. Therefore, patients may face the risk of diseases related to the intestines, liver and the digestive system in general.
High fever
Besides pain, fever is also a common symptom of wisdom teeth eruption.
The body has a fever because it is damaged and infected from the outside. Normally, the body’s temperature is around 37 degrees Celsius. If your body temperature goes higher than this, it is a sign that you have a fever. Symptoms of a fever are a hot forehead, hot limbs, red face, and possibly chills, and goosebumps.
The more white the festering gums are, the higher the fever is, as white festering gums equal severe infection. Many people even undergo high fever in which the body temperature goes up to 40 Celsius degrees and is even accompanied by mild convulsions.
At this point, what needs to be done is to temporarily reduce the fever. We can go to the clinic or consult a dentist for the right fever reducer for the body.
Infection
Infection is a concern for many people when wisdom teeth erupt. As the gums are torn, the food absorbed into the mouth will get stuck into this gap. Besides pain, the gum area is also susceptible to infections due to plaque that multiplies into bacteria.
Some signs that indicate an infected wisdom tooth:
- Red gums
- The appearance of white pus-filled spots around the gums
- Large tooth abscess on the outside of the tooth root
- Prolonged bleeding
- Bad breath every morning or after eating
- High fever that does not go away or high fever at some times of the day.
What to do when detecting signs of wisdom teeth misalignment?
Dr. Nguyen Anh Ngoc shared 2 solutions as follows:
Temporarily relieve pain and swelling
The pain and swelling you may experience when wisdom teeth grow misaligned is severe and really uncomfortable. You can apply the following temporary pain relief methods so that the pain does not disrupt your life:
Cold compress
A cold compress helps to reduce the frequency of swelling and pain. The cold causes sudden constriction of blood vessels inside the gums. As a result, it limits blood circulation, reduces the permeability of the coronary walls, and effectively relieves pain and edema.
Cold compress is a simple method. You need to prepare about 5-7 ice cubes. Wrap the ice in a plastic bag, then cover it with a clean towel. Squeeze one end tightly, leave the round head, and hold the compress on the painful area for about 2-5 minutes. Whenever there is pain, just apply ice for a few minutes to ease the pain.
Take antibiotics
Medicines such as doxycycline, spiramycin, amoxicillin, paracetamol, etc. treat pain, swelling, or fever relatively well. However, they only have a temporary treatment effect.
Patients should also pay attention to taking medicines according to dosage as the doctor suggested. Avoid self-medication or taking more than one medicine at a time. If your gums bleed, stay away from aspirin because this is a drug that stimulates red blood cells, making bleeding happen more.
Long-term treatment
To cure these symptoms permanently, there is only one way: to remove the wisdom tooth root from the jaw.
Most wisdom teeth that are misaligned cause prolonged pain, so 100% of patients are advised to remove them early. When the roots and crowns of wisdom teeth disappear, the jaw arch will return to normal and the adjacent teeth will also find peace again.
Should wisdom teeth that do not hurt the jaw also be extracted?
Whether a wisdom tooth should be removed or not depends on the level of risk it may cause. We should go to the dentist so that the doctor can see the direction of the teeth’s growth.
If the tooth is misaligned but does not touch the adjacent tooth bone, the gums are slightly red and swollen but if these symptoms do not persist or recur, it will possibly grow normally in the future. Therefore, there is no need to remove the teeth at the present time.
However, if the misaligned tooth does not cause pain but tends to tilt to touch the bone of the adjacent tooth, it will likely follow this growing trend in the future. Thus, it needs to be removed from the jaw.
If you are in good health and have no disease, you can completely have your wisdom teeth removed as prescribed by a qualified doctor.
At Home Dental, wisdom tooth removal service is performed with an advanced Piezotome ultrasound machine, a Scan Trios 3D machine from Poland, and a PRP centrifuge to help stop bleeding and heal quickly.
A qualified doctor at Home Dental will temporarily numb the jaw and slowly use wavelengths and specialized tools to gently remove the wisdom tooth root. After tooth extraction, customers can completely rest and relax. After only 2-3 days, the discomfort will be gone.
After removing wisdom teeth, the customer will have no unpleasant feelings such as:
- Misaligned bite, the chewing surface pierces the opposite gum
- Difficulty in opening and closing when eating, talking, laughing,…
- Pain, swelling, numbness in the jaw
- Headache, ear pain, vestibular pain
- Swollen face, cheeks, swollen lymph nodes
- Bad breath
Signs of misaligned wisdom teeth have been clearly shared by the doctor at Home Dental. This “obnoxious” tooth will not grow seamlessly but develop intermittently through the years and each time, we will feel pain and discomfort. To end the worry of misaligned wisdom teeth, please arrange a time to visit Home Dental for advice and safe tooth extraction.
