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Smiling with tongue out
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A partner at Doran, Capodice, Efaw, and Ocheltree in Bloomington, Illinois, Thomas Ocheltree provides comprehensive oral and maxillofacial surgical care to patients. Alongside his partners, Thomas Ocheltree offers services such as wisdom tooth removal.
The third molars at the back of the mouth, the wisdom teeth usually start coming in around the late teen years or later. At this time, dentists often recommend that young adults have their wisdom teeth removed. This is typically done because wisdom teeth sometimes cause problems in the mouth due to how they grow in. Further, since the roots and bones of the teeth are softer when individuals are younger, wisdom tooth extraction is often easier, and the wounds heal more quickly than in older adults.
As wisdom teeth develop, they often do not erupt completely from the gums. This results in the teeth being impacted and difficult to properly clean. Not only that, but impacted wisdom teeth have a higher chance of becoming infected and damaging bone support or other teeth roots as a result. In some cases, wisdom teeth may also grow in strange angles because the mouth doesn’t have enough room for them. Because of this, wisdom teeth may push against other teeth and cause damage, shifting, or pain.
When wisdom teeth grow in completely, are positioned correctly, and are healthy, they often do not require removal. Still, dentists may recommend having healthy teeth removed if x-rays indicate that they may become problematic in the future, once the bone and roots have fully formed. Thus, deciding whether to remove wisdom teeth depends on each individual’s dental situation and what their dentist sees in x-rays.
