Remove impacted teeth to avoid infection
FATUMA Kagoya, 27, was at her workplace when she started feeling pain in her lower gum. When she visited a dentist, she was told part of her wisdom tooth had erupted, but the back half was still under the gum.
By Halima Shaban
FATUMA Kagoya, 27, was at her workplace when she started feeling pain in her lower gum. When she visited a dentist, she was told part of her wisdom tooth had erupted, but the back half was still under the gum.
Dr. Winnie Nassolo, a dentist at SAS Clinic, says when a wisdom tooth, usually a lower one, starts to emerge (erupt), there may not be enough space in the mouth for it to break completely through the gums. The tooth will, therefore, push upward on the gums, partially exposing itself. Some portion of the tooth may remain covered by a flap of gum tissue.
In many cases, the wisdom teeth remain tilted under the gum, causing pain. Dentists call these, impacted teeth.
Enid Ndairiho, a dental surgeon at Bweyogerere Medical Clinic, says impacted teeth are those that become jammed in between the second molars and the bone at the back of the jaw and therefore, cannot fully erupt.
Food particles and bacteria may lodge under the flap, causing a low-grade infection, subsequent swelling and sometimes an inflammation called pericoronitis.
Ndairiho says: “If one has pericoronitis, he or she will notice that the gum tissue in the back corner of the mouth is swollen. The swelling will often not allow one to chew food comfortably.â€
Nassolo says pericoronitis is tricky to treat because the overlying flap in the tissue will not go away until the wisdom teeth emerge naturally, which is unlikely to happen or are removed by a surgeon.
“Your dentist will clean the area thoroughly to remove damaged tissue or pus. If the area is infected, you will be given antibiotics,†she says.
To prevent re-occurring, the dentist will give one instructions to keep the area clean. This involves brushing, flossing and rinsing the mouth with water several times a day to prevent food particles from accumulating in the area.
“The tissue that hangs out over the wisdom teeth collects plaque, food and bacteria between it and the tooth. Since you cannot brush that area or get to it very well, there is always a severe irritation. The best solution to prevent re-occurrences is to remove the tooth,†Nassolo says.
Once the tooth is out, Nassolo says, there will no longer be spaces that are vulnerable to infection. If the problem is caused by an upper wisdom tooth hitting the gum covering a lower wisdom tooth, the upper one may be removed first.
Dental wisdom.Com recommends that impacted wisdom teeth be removed between the age of 14 and 22, whether they are causing problems or not. Surgery is easy and patients recover faster when they are still young. What is a relatively minor operation at 20 can become quiet difficult in patients above 40 years.
Removing wisdom teeth is easier in younger people because the tooth roots are not fully developed and the bone in which the teeth sit is less dense.
“It also allows for quick recovery and less discomfort after surgery,†Nassolo says.
Regular dental visits are important during one’s teens and early twenties because they allow your dentist to follow the progress of your wisdom teeth with X-rays.
FATUMA Kagoya, 27, was at her workplace when she started feeling pain in her lower gum. When she visited a dentist, she was told part of her wisdom tooth had erupted, but the back half was still under the gum.
Dr. Winnie Nassolo, a dentist at SAS Clinic, says when a wisdom tooth, usually a lower one, starts to emerge (erupt), there may not be enough space in the mouth for it to break completely through the gums. The tooth will, therefore, push upward on the gums, partially exposing itself. Some portion of the tooth may remain covered by a flap of gum tissue.
In many cases, the wisdom teeth remain tilted under the gum, causing pain. Dentists call these, impacted teeth.
Enid Ndairiho, a dental surgeon at Bweyogerere Medical Clinic, says impacted teeth are those that become jammed in between the second molars and the bone at the back of the jaw and therefore, cannot fully erupt.
Food particles and bacteria may lodge under the flap, causing a low-grade infection, subsequent swelling and sometimes an inflammation called pericoronitis.
Ndairiho says: “If one has pericoronitis, he or she will notice that the gum tissue in the back corner of the mouth is swollen. The swelling will often not allow one to chew food comfortably.â€
Nassolo says pericoronitis is tricky to treat because the overlying flap in the tissue will not go away until the wisdom teeth emerge naturally, which is unlikely to happen or are removed by a surgeon.
“Your dentist will clean the area thoroughly to remove damaged tissue or pus. If the area is infected, you will be given antibiotics,†she says.
To prevent re-occurring, the dentist will give one instructions to keep the area clean. This involves brushing, flossing and rinsing the mouth with water several times a day to prevent food particles from accumulating in the area.
“The tissue that hangs out over the wisdom teeth collects plaque, food and bacteria between it and the tooth. Since you cannot brush that area or get to it very well, there is always a severe irritation. The best solution to prevent re-occurrences is to remove the tooth,†Nassolo says.
Once the tooth is out, Nassolo says, there will no longer be spaces that are vulnerable to infection. If the problem is caused by an upper wisdom tooth hitting the gum covering a lower wisdom tooth, the upper one may be removed first.
Dental wisdom.Com recommends that impacted wisdom teeth be removed between the age of 14 and 22, whether they are causing problems or not. Surgery is easy and patients recover faster when they are still young. What is a relatively minor operation at 20 can become quiet difficult in patients above 40 years.
Removing wisdom teeth is easier in younger people because the tooth roots are not fully developed and the bone in which the teeth sit is less dense.
“It also allows for quick recovery and less discomfort after surgery,†Nassolo says.
Regular dental visits are important during one’s teens and early twenties because they allow your dentist to follow the progress of your wisdom teeth with X-rays.