Do You Have Impacted Wisdom Teeth?

For some, growing wisdom teeth is a ball in the park. For others, it can be an uncomfortable experience. While it’s normal to feel some pain and soreness as a wisdom tooth comes in, continuous pain may mean you have an impacted tooth and require an extraction. At Kidz Connextion located in Phoenix, AZ, we provide safe and effective wisdom tooth extractions. But first, let’s take a look at what it means to have an impacted wisdom tooth. 

What Is an Impacted Wisdom Tooth?

Wisdom teeth typically grow in the 17-25 age years, emerging in the upper and lower back areas of the mouth. If a wisdom tooth can’t break through the gums or is stuck under the gums, this means your tooth is impacted. A wisdom tooth that grows at the wrong angle due to lack of room in the mouth also is impacted. Some wisdom teeth, known as partially impacted teeth, only slightly emerge in the gums. When food is trapped under the gum flap or operculum of a partially inflamed tooth, you risk a potentially dangerous health condition called pericoronitis.

Symptoms

Some impacted teeth may never need removal because they don’t have any dental problems. Others lead to serious infections like pericoronitis if not treated right away. If you’re experiencing any of the following symptoms, contact our office in Phoenix, AZ immediately for an appointment:

Bleeding gums

Bad breath

Severe pain

Trouble opening the jaw

Swelling

Pus discharge

 
Treatment

At Kidz Connextion, we value making our patients feel safe and comfortable during all procedures. This includes extractions for impacted wisdom teeth. Your dentist will determine your full range of options including extraction site preservation and operculum cleaning before extraction takes place. 

Kidz Connextion has three convenient locations in Phoenix, Arizona. To schedule an appointment at 2533 N 75th St, text 623-232-0749. For our office at 2046 N 24th St, text 480-666-5984. For our office at 524 E Baseline Rd, text 480-405-4714. Or, visit Kidz Connextion on our website.

To Extract or Not: Wisdom Tooth Edition

Wisdom teeth are usually synonymous with pain, infection, crowding, and swollen gums. The general solution to these issues is extraction. But what if you don’t experience any of those symptoms? At Kidz Connextion located in Phoenix, AZ, we provide expert care for wisdom teeth, from extractions to dental hygiene. 

What Are Wisdom Teeth?

Wisdom teeth typically grow in the 17-25 age years, emerging in the upper and lower back areas of the mouth. Since they are the last to appear in the human mouth, they’ve garnered the title “wisdom” and presumably make you wiser. Wisdom teeth were once very useful in human history, aiding our ancestors to chew and tear tough roots, meats, nuts, and plants. But because most of the human diet today is soft and cooked foods, the need for wisdom is virtually none, with anthropologists suggesting their DNA may soon completely disappear from genetics.

When to Extract?

When a wisdom tooth can’t break through the gums or is stuck under the gums, this means it’s impacted. A wisdom tooth that grows at the wrong angle due to lack of room in the mouth also is impacted. Partially impacted wisdom teeth, which only slightly emerge from the gums are also a cause for concern. 

Your Phoenix, AZ dentist recommends an extraction when your wisdom tooth is impacted and you experience the following symptoms:

-Pain

-Infection

-Ulcers near the tooth

-Tooth decay

-Damage to nearby teeth

-Gum disease

-Trouble opening jaw

-Bleeding gums

-Sudden bad breath

Sometimes wisdom teeth, even if not impacted, don’t need to be removed because they cause no oral health issues. Here are examples of when you don’t need an extraction:

-Your wisdom teeth are healthy and fully grown in

-Your wisdom teeth are positioned correctly

-Your wisdom teeth are easily reached for proper dental hygiene

Kidz Connextion has three convenient locations in Phoenix, Arizona. To schedule an appointment at 2533 N 75th St, text 623-232-0749. For our office at 2046 N 24th St, text 480-666-5984. For our office at 524 E Baseline Rd, text 480-405-4714. Or, visit Kidz Connextion on our website.

Do You Need Your Wisdom Teeth Removed?

Wisdom teeth are the third and final molars to develop in the mouth between the ages of 17-22. For a very lucky few, these teeth come in with no problems: fully through the gums and properly aligned. Oftentimes though, wisdom teeth come in misaligned or impacted. This is where complications develop and the need for their removal is vital. The experienced dentists at Kidz Connextion Dental & Braces in Pheonix, AZ, provide wisdom teeth removal for patients.

Your trusted dentist recommends that you not wait too long to get your wisdom teeth removed since infection can easily set in. The younger you are, the easier the procedure will be since the wisdom teeth roots aren’t fully developed by that time. This will also help with quicker recovery time.

Before making any decisions to extract wisdom teeth, your dentist will first examine your mouth and take an X-ray. Under the care of the expert team at Kidz Connextion Dental & Braces, you and your family will rest easy knowing that you are in safe hands throughout your visit. We understand that wisdom teeth extraction may sound scary, but it’s best to have them removed to avoid headaches, constant pain in the back of the mouth, and damage to the surrounding teeth.

Do you think it’s time to have your wisdom teeth removed? We are happy to address any questions or concerns that come up. Kidz Connextion Dental & Braces has three separate offices in the Phoenix, AZ, area for your convenience. For more information about our services or to schedule an appointment, please visit kidzconnextion.com. You can also call 623-232-0749 for our N. 75th St. office, 480-666-5984 for the N. 24th St. office, and 480-405-4714 for the E. Baseline Rd. office.

Why Do We Have Wisdom Teeth?

Wisdom teeth grow in the very back of the mouth and usually erupt between the ages of 17 and 22. Essentially, our mouths are able to hold 28 teeth, but including wisdom teeth, we each have about 32. However, with modern advancements in oral hygiene and softer diets, we don’t need these wisdom teeth like our ancestors once did. Wisdom teeth can be problematic depending on the individual, to discuss yours or your child’s, schedule a consultation with our doctors at Kidz Connextion.

So why do we have wisdom teeth? Anthropologists believe wisdom teeth or the third set of molars, were the evolutionary answer to our ancestor’s early diet of coarse, rough food – like leaves, roots, nuts, and meats – which required more chewing power and resulted in excessive wear of the teeth. The modern diet with its softer foods, along with marvels of modern technologies such as forks, spoons, and knives, has made the need for wisdom teeth nonexistent; however, they don’t always need to be removed.

If you have questions or concerns about tooth extractions, please give us a call. To learn more about our pediatric services here at the office visit www.kidzconnextion.com for more information. To schedule an appointment in Phoenix AZ, call 623-223-1001.

Common Reasons for Pulling a Tooth

At Kidz Connextion, Dr. John Graneto will do anything he can to avoid pulling a tooth but sometimes, extraction is necessary. One of the common reasons for tooth extraction here at our office, is wisdom teeth removal, due to the risk of infection and/or pain from pushing against surrounding teeth. Other common reasons for pulling a tooth include the following.

• Having extra teeth that block other teeth from coming in.


• If baby teeth don’t fall out in time to allow permanent teeth to come in.


• Orthodontic treatment - getting braces may need teeth extracted to create room for teeth that are being moved into place.


• Some teeth may need to be extracted if they have the potential of becoming infected.

 

If you have questions or concerns about tooth extractions, please give us a call. To learn more about our pediatric services here at the office visit www.kidzconnextion.com for more information. To schedule an appointment in Phoenix AZ, call 623-223-1001.