A Real Case in Sangil-dong: An Impacted Wisdom Tooth Left Untreated Damaged the Adjacent Tooth

Hello. I am the director of Seoul Bardi Dental Clinic.

“I'm scared of having my wisdom tooth removed,

so I've just been leaving it alone...

It should be okay if I hold out a little longer, right?”

This is a question we hear very often at the dental clinic.

Today, through a patient case in which impacted wisdom tooth extraction was delayed,

in the end, root canal treatment and a crown were also needed for the adjacent tooth,

I would like to explain why wisdom teeth should not be left untreated.

<Table of Contents>

1. Impacted wisdom tooth in Sangil-dong: why can't you just leave it alone?
2. Impacted wisdom tooth: a real case where delaying extraction led to root canal treatment for the adjacent tooth

1. Impacted wisdom tooth: why can't you just leave it alone? Impacted wisdom tooth left untreated in Sangil-dong

Wisdom teeth are the molars that erupt at the very back of the mouth,

and if there is not enough space in the jawbone,

they often lie at an angle or remain impacted after only partially erupting.

An impacted wisdom tooth like this may feel to the person like it is causing only “a little discomfort,”

but in reality, it often quietly damages the molar right in front of it.

The three most common problems are:

• Food often gets trapped between the wisdom tooth and the adjacent tooth

• Bacteria enter through that gap and cause decay starting at the root side of the adjacent tooth

• Repeated gum inflammation causes pain and swelling

In particular, a wisdom tooth that lies diagonally and is only partially impacted

is prone to developing decay in a place that is hard to see from the outside.

As a result, patients often do not realize it,

and in many cases it is only discovered after the adjacent tooth has already developed extensive decay.

In the end, even the front molar that should be used for a long time

may require root canal treatment and a crown.

2. Impacted wisdom tooth: A real case where delaying extraction led to root canal treatment for the adjacent tooth Impacted wisdom tooth left untreated in Sangil-dong

This patient also came in after

“I kept putting off the wisdom tooth removal because I was scared.”

The area around the lower right wisdom tooth

swelled and hurt from time to time,

but after taking painkillers and feeling a little better,

they continued to live with it as before.

When we examined them at the visit,

the wisdom tooth was lying diagonally and only partially

erupted through the gum.

240919

The issue was not the wisdom tooth itself,

but the condition of the molar directly in front of it.

After checking with X-rays and intraoral photos,

230227(before) 240919 (after)

within a year and a half, not only the wisdom tooth but also

the tooth in front of it had developed decay.

In fact, the decay had progressed quite far

and had already advanced close to the nerve.

240920

In addition, both lower wisdom teeth on both sides

appeared to overlap with the mandibular nerve canal on X-ray.

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In this case, it is difficult to accurately judge the distance to the nerve using only a simple X-ray,

so we proceeded with a CT scan for a safer extraction.

240920 Impacted wisdom tooth left untreated in Sangil-dong

After checking the CT,

the nerve canal and the wisdom tooth roots were very close to each other,

so extra care was needed during extraction.

240920

If this nerve is directly touched or compressed during wisdom tooth removal,

symptoms such as temporary numbness or reduced sensation in the lower lip or chin area may occur,

and in rare cases, such symptoms may last for a long time.

So for this patient,

instead of pulling the tooth out all at once with force,

we planned a careful segmented extraction by dividing the wisdom tooth into several pieces

so that no force would be transmitted toward the nerve.

Because the patient was very afraid of wisdom tooth extraction,

we first helped make the anesthesia as comfortable as possible.

Our clinic is equipped with an intraosseous anesthesia device,

so we can help minimize the pain associated with anesthesia.

Intraosseous anesthesia, unlike a regular gum injection,

uses an electric device to slowly inject the medication

with steady pressure,

so there is less pain from injection pressure,

and the anesthetic is delivered quickly and accurately

to the needed area (inside the bone, around the nerve).

That is why many patients actually say,

“Wow, I didn’t even realize I got an injection.”

As planned, we divided the wisdom tooth into small sections

and carefully removed it so as not to touch the nerve,

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and fortunately, the extraction was completed safely without nerve damage.

241119

The molar in front, where the decay had progressed deeply,

was finished by cleaning up the internal inflammation with root canal treatment,

and then covering the remaining tooth with a crown to protect it.

A wisdom tooth may feel like a tooth that is “fine whether you have it or not,”

but if an impacted wisdom tooth is left untreated,

it often ends up damaging the molars that actually need to last a long time.

If, like in today’s case, the area around your wisdom tooth swells often

or you keep feeling like food gets stuck there,

we recommend having it checked before it gets worse.

We will do our best to accurately diagnose your current condition

and help you receive treatment without fear.

Thank you.

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A Real Case in Sangil-dong: An Impacted Wisdom Tooth Left Untreated Damaged the Adjacent Tooth

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02-481-4278

| This post was written directly by Seoul Bardi Dental Clinic for the purpose of providing medical information in compliance with Article 56(1) of the Medical Service Act. The information provided is for reference only, and we recommend that you visit a medical institution and receive guidance from medical staff for symptom assessment and accurate management methods. All procedures/surgeries performed at the dental clinic may involve risks depending on the individual (inflammation, bleeding, swelling, etc.). Please decide after sufficient consultation with the medical staff in advance. The treatment cases in this post were photographed with the consent of the patients who actually completed treatment at our clinic, and the before-and-after photos were taken under the same conditions. |