Table of contents:
- Identifying wisdom teeth or third molars
- Do all sleeping teeth have to be operated on?
- What is the sleep dental surgery procedure?
Have you grown your wisdom teeth or also called third molars? Usually, these teeth only grow later, when you are about 20 years old. How about the growth? Most of you probably have wisdom teeth that grow in an imperfect position. Teeth grow face to the side not upwards or what is also called sleeping teeth. Well, these sleeping teeth are usually painful, but they may also not be. Does this wrong wisdom tooth have to be operated on?
Identifying wisdom teeth or third molars
Third molars or wisdom teeth usually appear when you are an adult, around the age of 17-25 years. These wisdom teeth will grow in the right and left jaw, as well as in the upper and lower jaw. Ideally, wisdom teeth are growing healthy, fully grown in the correct position, and easy to clean. Unfortunately, wisdom teeth often don't go smoothly.
Due to later growth, the area of the gum where the wisdom teeth grows may become narrow due to other teething growths. This makes it difficult for wisdom teeth to surface, so they cannot grow in line with other teeth.
Often times, wisdom teeth grow sideways instead of upward, so they are called sleeping teeth. These sleeping teeth can "bump" the teeth on the side, causing unbearable pain, and can even damage nearby teeth.
Do all sleeping teeth have to be operated on?
Yes. Wisdom teeth that grow sideways can have a negative impact on the health of your teeth and mouth. Although wisdom teeth that are not growing properly do not cause pain, it is best if the teeth in this sleeping position are still operated on so as not to cause problems in the future, as suggested by WebMD.
If left untreated, the teeth that grow sideways can damage the adjacent teeth, damage the jawbone, and also the nerves. Sleeping teeth that only partially appear on the gums also allow bacteria to enter around the teeth and cause infection. This can cause pain, swelling, stiffness in the jaw, and other problems. The location of sleeping teeth that is difficult to reach also makes sleeping teeth difficult to clean, thus increasing the risk of tooth decay and gum disease.
If you wait longer to have sleep dental surgery, it can cause bigger problems after surgery. Such as, heavy bleeding, cracked teeth, severe numbness and a slight loss of movement in the jaw. This problem can last several days or it can be up to a lifetime. For that, you should do surgery immediately if wisdom teeth grow imperfectly (sleeping teeth).
What is the sleep dental surgery procedure?
Wisdom teeth that are not growing properly are usually detected by doing an X-ray of the teeth. If a dental X-ray shows a sleeping tooth, your doctor will usually advise you to perform dental surgery. Especially, if this faulty tooth is already causing pain, recurring infections, nearby tooth decay, and gum disease.
Sleep dental surgery usually lasts approximately 45 minutes. Before surgery, you will usually get one type of anesthesia - local or general anesthesia, depending on your condition - so that you don't feel pain during the operation.
The doctor will then dissect your gums to remove the sleeping teeth. After that, the gums will be sewn so that they are tightly closed again. These stitches usually dissolve - fused with the gums - after a few days. You may feel uncomfortable in three days or so and usually your mouth will return to normal within a few weeks.
