The Story of How a Horizontal Impacted Wisdom Tooth, Lying Sideways, Led to the Extraction of an Otherwise Healthy Molar

Hello.

I’m the director of Seoul Bardi Dental Clinic.

Have you ever heard that if you’re afraid of the dentist and keep putting off treatment,

the cost and trouble later on will only get bigger?

In the case of wisdom teeth, it can go beyond simply being troublesome,

and unfortunately, it can even become the reason you lose a precious natural tooth.

A patient who recently came to our clinic was in a similar situation.

They had only left one wisdom tooth on the right side untreated, but because of that tooth, the molar right in front of it was also damaged,

leading to a situation where both teeth ultimately had to be extracted.

A heartbreaking case in which one wisdom tooth meant an otherwise healthy molar had to be replaced with an implant...

Let me show you through this case why this happens and how it can be prevented.^^

Case of a patient who came in with a broken molar Horizontal impacted wisdom tooth, wisdom tooth lying sideways

A patient who recently visited our clinic came in saying that the lower right molar had broken badly.

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They said they were so afraid of coming to the dentist that even when they felt discomfort, they endured it and kept putting it off.

After examining the mouth, the right molar (#47) was found to be broken halfway off.

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After analyzing the panoramic X-ray, we found that the patient had a total of four wisdom teeth in the upper and lower jaws.

What was interesting, though, was that the areas around the other three wisdom teeth were completely fine,

while only the lower right wisdom tooth stood out as being hidden in a very different way.

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Can you clearly feel the difference in the photo?

The reason this one tooth stands out so much is due to the 'direction' in which the wisdom tooth grew.

The problematic lower right wisdom tooth (#48) was not growing straight like the other teeth;

instead, it had tipped over sideways and was strongly pushing against the middle portion of the tooth in front of it. It was in a 'horizontal impaction' state.

Why are wisdom teeth that lie sideways more dangerous? Horizontal impacted wisdom tooth, wisdom tooth lying sideways

If a tooth erupts properly and straight, it can be managed with good brushing alone.

But when a tooth lies sideways, a very deep and narrow gap forms where it meets the tooth in front.

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This gap becomes a 'blind spot' that is very difficult to clean, not only with regular brushing but even with dental floss or interdental brushes.

As food keeps getting trapped and builds up, it becomes the perfect environment for bacteria to grow.

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What is even more frightening is that the decay does not stay only in the wisdom tooth;

it travels down along the back wall of the healthy molar in front of it.

In this patient as well, the decay that started in this gap had deeply invaded the nerve of the front molar,

which weakened the tooth, and in the end, it could not withstand biting hard foods and broke apart.

Also, due to chronic inflammation caused by food debris, the bone supporting the tooth had gradually been dissolving away.

Treatment process Horizontal impacted wisdom tooth, wisdom tooth lying sideways

As a dentist, I wanted to save the natural tooth as much as possible,

but the decay had already progressed down to the root area below the gum line,

and the bone had already been losing away because of chronic inflammation caused by the gap around the wisdom tooth.

In the end, extraction was unavoidable.

We decided to extract both the wisdom tooth and the tooth in front of it, and proceed with an implant.

Extraction and same-day bone grafting Horizontal impacted wisdom tooth, wisdom tooth lying sideways

Fortunately, the inflammation had not spread very widely,

so on the same day as the extraction, we placed the implant fixture together with a 'bone graft' to fill in the bone that had dissolved.

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This is because, for the implant to remain stable without wobbling, the foundation of the gum bone must be strong.

Six months later Horizontal impacted wisdom tooth, wisdom tooth lying sideways

After implant placement, we waited about six months.

This period is the 'osseointegration' process, when the implant root becomes completely one with the bone.

Our clinic does not rely on the simple feeling of "it probably has bonded well."

We precisely measure the degree of integration using ISQ (machine readings),

Machine used to check osseointegration values

and proceed to the next step only when the numbers are perfect.

(70 or above is considered a stable value.)

Taking a digital impression Horizontal impacted wisdom tooth, wisdom tooth lying sideways

The next step is taking an impression.

You no longer need to worry about the discomfort of having to endure a gag reflex while your mouth is filled with sticky material like in the past.

We use a digital method where we simply scan the inside of the mouth with an intraoral scanner.

Without the sticky foreign-body sensation, the impression can be taken much more comfortably,

and because it is analyzed accurately using computer data, the prosthesis is made with much greater precision.^^

In the end, we completed it with a zirconia prosthesis that is as strong as a real tooth and has a natural color.^^

"If it doesn’t hurt now, it must be okay" can be the most dangerous thought.

Especially with a wisdom tooth lying sideways, even if there is no pain right now,

it is like a 'silent time bomb' that gradually damages the tooth next to it without you realizing it.

This was a major treatment that could have been avoided if the wisdom tooth had been managed in time,

so I also felt very sorry for the patient while treating them.

The way to protect your precious natural teeth is surprisingly simple.

Before it gets any later, check the condition inside your mouth through regular checkups.

We will always do our best to find the most honest and safest path from the patient’s perspective.

Thank you for reading this long post today. ^^

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The Story of How a Horizontal Impacted Wisdom Tooth, Lying Sideways, Led to the Extraction of an Otherwise Healthy Molar

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| 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 Advertising Act. The provided information is recommended for reference only, and for an accurate understanding of symptoms and proper management methods, please visit a medical institution and receive guidance from medical professionals. All procedures/surgeries performed at the dental clinic may carry possibilities such as inflammation, bleeding, swelling, etc., depending on the individual. Please make decisions after sufficient consultation with the 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 the same conditions. |