Godeok-dong impacted wisdom tooth extraction: If it doesn’t hurt, do you still have to remove it?

Godeok-dong impacted wisdom tooth extraction: If it doesn’t hurt, do you still have to remove it? Check ‘this’ first.

Hello.

I’m the director of Seoul Bardi Dental Clinic.

Wisdom tooth extraction... Honestly, just hearing the name can be scary, right?

The feeling of getting sweaty palms just from sitting in the dental chair,

I understand that feeling very well. ^^

The name is quite romantic, “wisdom tooth,”

but what it actually does (?)

is often not romantic at all.

But after you see the case I’m going to introduce today,

I think you’ll understand a little better why, even if you’re afraid, you should gather your courage early and check your wisdom teeth.

I’ll tell you the story of how leaving one wisdom tooth alone

led to major treatment for a molar that had previously been fine.

From here, let me explain.

Why do wisdom teeth need to be removed? Godeok-dong impacted wisdom tooth extraction

A while ago, a patient came in because food kept getting stuck and there was a throbbing sensation near the lower right molar area.

At first glance inside the mouth, only the head of the wisdom tooth (#48) was slightly visible, so it did not look like a major problem.

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But after taking an X-ray, the situation was a little different.

The wisdom tooth was lying diagonally toward the front tooth (#47).

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There’s something you should know here.

If a wisdom tooth is completely buried inside the gum, that is actually better.

But if even a little bit of it protrudes beyond the gum,

there will be a narrow gap between the front tooth and the wisdom tooth.

This gap becomes a blind spot that even the most thorough brushing cannot reach.

It creates the perfect environment for food debris and bacteria to stay behind.

That is why a wisdom tooth that has emerged from the gum should usually be removed.

After removing the wisdom tooth, there was decay in the tooth in front? Godeok-dong impacted wisdom tooth extraction

After discussing it with the patient, we decided to remove the wisdom tooth first, as it was the cause.

The CT scan showed that the wisdom tooth and the nerve were fortunately far apart, so extraction could be done safely.

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Because the tooth was lying sideways, it could not come out all at once, so we sectioned the tooth and then removed it safely.

Fortunately, the extraction was completed very cleanly.

But the real problem was revealed after the wisdom tooth was removed.

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The back side of the front tooth, which had been hidden by the wisdom tooth, was badly decayed and black.

As food debris accumulated in the spot where the wisdom tooth had been closely attached,

the side of the front tooth slowly decayed away.

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Because it was the side of the tooth, not the chewing surface, it was hidden by the gum and would have been very difficult to detect.

The danger of interproximal cavities, which can be even more serious than a wisdom tooth Godeok-dong impacted wisdom tooth extraction

One of the biggest reasons dentists recommend removing wisdom teeth early is precisely because of interproximal cavities.

Interproximal cavities are cavities that occur on the surface where two teeth touch.

There are two major reasons why these cavities are so concerning.

First, they are extremely difficult to detect.

Since the decay starts not on the chewing surface, but on the side of the tooth, and deep under the gum,

it cannot be seen with the naked eye.

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Even on an X-ray, if it is hidden by the wisdom tooth, it is hard to judge the exact size of the cavity.

Second, they progress at an overwhelmingly fast rate.

The outer layer of the tooth, the enamel, is much thinner on the side than on the chewing surface.

So once decay starts, it quickly travels through the inner dentin and reaches the nerve.

Efforts to save the natural tooth Godeok-dong impacted wisdom tooth extraction

After removing the decay, we found that the cavity was deeper than expected and was very close to the nerve.

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Because our clinic’s philosophy is to preserve natural teeth, we had to think carefully:

“Is there any way to save the nerve?”

So instead of proceeding directly to root canal treatment, we first placed a material to help protect the nerve.

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Teeth have the ability to protect themselves, and with the help of this material, they can sometimes create new tooth structure (dentin) above the nerve.

We gave it time, hoping the tooth would form its own “callus” to protect the nerve.

Why root canal treatment became necessary Godeok-dong impacted wisdom tooth extraction

When we checked the progress a week later, unfortunately, the pain had not subsided.

The cavity was so deep that the nerve had already been damaged.

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If you force yourself to endure this, inflammation can develop at the root tip and make things even harder.

In the end, after discussing it with the patient, we proceeded with root canal treatment.

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Fortunately, the cavity was not extremely deep, so the root canal treatment was carefully completed on the same day.

To protect the weakened tooth after root canal treatment, we beautifully placed a strong zirconia crown.

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Molars are exposed to a lot of chewing force, so there is no material as reliable as zirconia.

Wasn’t this something that could have been avoided if the wisdom tooth had been removed a little earlier? Godeok-dong impacted wisdom tooth extraction

The treatment ended successfully, but both the patient and I were left with a little regret.

If the wisdom tooth had been removed just 1 to 2 years earlier,

we probably would not have had to go as far as removing the nerve and covering the entire tooth with a crown.

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A wisdom tooth does not just hurt by itself.

It very often damages the valuable molar next to it as well.

If you look in the mirror now and can see a wisdom tooth at the end of your molar,

or if food tends to get stuck there often,

don’t delay—please get it checked.

Properly taking care of it while it can still be handled with minimal intervention is the smartest way to protect your teeth.

We will always put your oral health first.

Thank you.^^

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Godeok-dong impacted wisdom tooth extraction: If it doesn’t hurt, do you still have to remove it? Check ‘this’ first.

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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, Paragraph 1 of the Medical Services Act. The information provided is for reference only, and we recommend visiting a medical institution and receiving guidance from medical professionals for symptom assessment and accurate management methods. All procedures/surgeries performed at the dental clinic may carry risks depending on the individual (inflammation, bleeding, swelling, etc.). Please make a decision after充分 consultation with medical staff in advance. The treatment cases in this post were photographed with the consent of patients who completed treatment at our clinic, and the before-and-after photos were taken under identical conditions. |