Hello, this is Gangnam Leon Dental Clinic😊
Today, we’d like to talk about a case in which a wisdom tooth was extracted while leaving the roots behind.
When having a wisdom tooth removed,
many people may wonder,
"Can the roots really be left behind?"
"Is it okay if the roots are left in?"

Wisdom Tooth Extraction Leaving the Roots Behind? / Gangnam Station Wisdom Tooth Extraction Gangnam Leon Dental Clinic
Leaving wisdom tooth roots behind:
Intentional coronectomy
The goal is to remove the wisdom tooth completely,
but as written in the extraction consent form,
there are cases where the wisdom tooth roots must be intentionally left behind for treatment purposes.
This is called an intentional coronectomy,
and the reasons are as follows.
✅ When the roots are severely curved
✅ When the roots are very close to the nerve canal
✅ When the roots are firmly attached to the jawbone
✅ When a large amount of jawbone would need to be removed
Considering a coronectomy means
that the wisdom tooth is deeply impacted,
and the roots are left behind mainly to avoid these risks
when there is concern about nerve damage.
If the nerve is accidentally touched,
sensory changes in the face may occur,
and in severe cases, paralysis may develop.

Wisdom Tooth Extraction Leaving the Roots Behind? / Gangnam Station Wisdom Tooth Extraction Gangnam Leon Dental Clinic
So the question is whether
leaving the roots like this
will cause problems later on.
🔻
To get straight to the point,
if there are no signs of inflammation,
in most cases there is no need to worry.
The remaining wisdom tooth roots
will become covered by the jawbone during the healing process.
Over time, they may be absorbed into the jawbone
or may emerge upward from the jawbone.
Roots of about 2–3 mm with no inflammation
are not a problem,
and if inflammation develops later, they are removed.
Of course, there are also cases in which a coronectomy is not possible.
A specialist carries out the procedure
with those criteria and principles in mind.
If you have discomfort after the extraction?
As mentioned earlier,
even if the roots are left behind,
there is usually no major problem.
However, if you feel discomfort,
we recommend removing the remaining roots.
When only the wisdom tooth root remains,
a further extraction is more difficult.
It was left behind for various reasons,
and since only the root portion remains,
it is not easy to remove with instruments.
This patient had wisdom tooth extraction at another dental clinic, but because the nerve canal was close,
the procedure was completed with the roots left behind.
The marked area shows the root
remaining close to the nerve canal.

Wisdom Tooth Extraction Leaving the Roots Behind? / Gangnam Station Wisdom Tooth Extraction Gangnam Leon Dental Clinic
One month after the extraction, the extraction site felt uncomfortable,
so the patient wanted the remaining roots removed
and visited Gangnam Leon Dental Clinic.

Wisdom Tooth Extraction Leaving the Roots Behind? / Gangnam Station Wisdom Tooth Extraction Gangnam Leon Dental Clinic
On CT as well, the remaining root
appeared to be very close to the nerve canal,
so we decided to carefully extract it
after accurately determining the distance.

Wisdom Tooth Extraction Leaving the Roots Behind? / Gangnam Station Wisdom Tooth Extraction Gangnam Leon Dental Clinic
Fortunately, all the roots were removed successfully,
and after the extraction, we took an X-ray
to check whether any fragments remained.
Although the extraction was performed according to the exact plan,
it is necessary to check for one week
whether any later nerve damage symptoms appear.

Wisdom Tooth Extraction Leaving the Roots Behind? / Gangnam Station Wisdom Tooth Extraction Gangnam Leon Dental Clinic
After one week, the recovery was good,
and everything was normal with no nerve damage.
Today, we looked at wisdom tooth extraction where the roots were left behind.
To avoid nerve damage, the wisdom tooth roots that were close to the nerve were intentionally left in place.
This was done intentionally by a specialist,
and in most cases it passes without discomfort,
but if discomfort does arise,
we identify various possibilities
and remove the remaining roots.
If you have any questions about this,
please feel free to leave a comment anytime!
Gangnam Leon Dental Clinic
Integrated Anterior Tooth Treatment, New Teeth
From enamel spot treatment to gum grafting, tooth shaping,
gum contouring, teeth whitening, gum whitening,
anterior resin treatment, orthodontics, and New Teeth Lami,
this is integrated anterior tooth treatment.

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