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Wisdom Teeth & Potential Problems

Wisdom teeth are the last teeth in each jaw arch, which emerge between the ages of 18 and 25 (in some people it may grow sooner), and dentists call it the “Third Asia.”
Usually, each person has 2 wisdom teeth in the upper jaw, 2 wisdom teeth in the lower jaw for a total of 4 wisdom teeth. Occasionally, for inherited reasons, childhood diseases (anemia, rickets), misalignment of jaw bone growth with the size of the teeth, and these teeth remain inside the jaw. Also, part of their crown may appear incompletely in the mouth, in which case it is called a half-hidden wisdom tooth. An impacted tooth is a tooth that has passed since its eruption and for various reasons is not able to be in the proper row with other teeth. Such wisdom teeth may be stuck in soft or hard tissue. Problems that impacted wisdom teeth can cause include inflammation of the soft tissue lining the wisdom teeth, which often occurs in connection with semi-erupted teeth, decay of caries or decay in the area adjacent to wisdom teeth, and the risk of damage to adjacent teeth. The absence of wisdom teeth is one or more examples of hypodontia.

Wisdom tooth problems

Most people in the community have problems with wisdom teeth that can be mentioned as follows:

The compressive effect of space constraints on the maxillary arch or the growth of wisdom teeth in the wrong direction can cause problems such as:

  • Root resorption of the second Asian tooth (in case of incorrect tooth growth pattern (horizontally))
  • The formation of cysts and tumors of dental origin around the wisdom teeth, which may be benign or malignant, depending on the type of lesion.
  • Weakening of the jawbone by an impacted tooth and mechanical instability of the jawbone against impact
  • Disorder and disruption of the rest of the jaw teeth
    You can feel the pain of wisdom teeth in the back of your mouth. If you look in the mirror, you may notice that your wisdom teeth have protruded slightly from the gums. This area may be red and hot.

However, some people do not have specific symptoms of wisdom tooth pain. Mouth pain can also have a number of other causes. They can include tooth decay, fractures or abscesses, filling fractures or injuries, and gum infections.

No matter what the cause, you should see a dentist. Your wisdom teeth may be crooked and may not come out of your mouth properly, or they may cause an infection around your teeth.

Whatever the cause, painful wisdom teeth can really affect the health of your mouth and should be treated immediately. Wisdom toothache sometimes comes from nowhere and starts suddenly without warning. On the other hand, wisdom tooth pain can also appear slowly and gradually.

The first step is to set up an appointment to see your dentist if you think you have a toothache. He or she will be able to assess the area and determine if your pain is really from a wisdom tooth.

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The Benefits of Saliva

Saliva is a clear substance that is secreted by the six main glands in the mouth. It is the saliva that keeps the mouth moist when speaking. This transparent substance also helps digestion and is good for the digestive system. It is interesting to know that saliva is also useful for maintaining the health of the gums and teeth. Join us to learn more about the benefits of saliva.

  1. Eliminate oral contaminants: Bacteria, viruses, and yeasts accumulate in the mouth and attach to the gums, tongue, and teeth. These infections cause many problems for oral health. Saliva clears all of this from the inside of the mouth and sends it out of the body through the digestive tract.
  2. Protects the mouth, teeth, and gastrointestinal tract: Saliva neutralizes the acids in the foods and beverages we eat.
  3. Prevention of tooth decay: Toothache is a problem that even thinking about it can be awful. One of the benefits of saliva is that it protects the teeth against the acids in the mouth.
  4. Formation of healthy plaques in the mouth: The proteins in saliva lead to the production of a useful plaque in the mouth. Saliva first cleans the germs and lesions on the teeth and then covers them with a kind of plaque.
  5. Disinfection and healing of mouth ulcers: Lip biting or sores in the mouth are common. Another benefit of saliva is that it helps to heal these sores.
  6. Helps to digest food more easily: Amylase in saliva breaks down starch sugars into smaller portions to make them easier to digest in the stomach.
  7. Benefits of saliva for diagnosing the disease: Saliva in the mouth is essential. Dry mouth can lead to an imbalance in this area and affect a person’s health. If your mouth is dry and you do not have enough saliva, you must investigate the cause. Dry mouth can be caused by diseases such as Parkinson’s, diabetes, or immune disorders.
  8. Identify the person: One of the benefits of saliva is the ability to identify a person. DNA in oral tissue is also found in salivary tissue.

    Saliva can increase for a variety of reasons. If you have an infectious disease, too much saliva will be secreted. Stress and anxiety, the use of new dentures, and pregnancy can also lead to increased salivation.

    If you are taking certain medications, saliva secretion may increase. Drugs such as clonazepam affect the salivary glands and increase salivation. Bell’s palsy or nerve and facial paralysis, mercury, or arsenic poisoning, diseases such as syphilis, tuberculosis, and oral diseases are other causes of increased saliva. This method is used to identify the person in question.

    There are several reasons for a decrease in saliva. One of the reasons for the decrease in saliva is the use of various drugs. If you have gastrointestinal problems or high blood pressure, taking medication can cause dry mouth.

    Consumption of caffeinated beverages, smoking, and alcohol consumption is also effective in dry mouth. However, aging, respiratory problems, and dehydration can also cause dry mouth.
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Baby Tooth Decay

Some parents are unaware of the fact that they need to be keeping their baby’s teeth healthy because they think that even if their baby’s teeth break down and they are pulled out, permanent teeth will replace them. But they do not know that tooth decay and extraction causes the non-eruption of permanent teeth.

Parents should be fully aware of their baby from an early age and should monitor every part of their body to take action if there is a problem, such as cavities as cavities cause tooth decay. Cavities in baby teeth are one of the most important dental problems in childhood and the most common cause of them at a young age is night feeding.

Cavities in baby teeth are most often noticed by parents between the ages of one and two when the pain usually begins. On average, 6 decayed baby teeth can be seen in a 4-year-old child, but sometimes it is observed that all the teeth of a child have cavities, to the point where it is rare to see a child who does not have decayed teeth.

These cavities eventually lead to denervation or tooth extraction, and because young children are not able to work with their dentist enough. General anesthesia is often required for dental treatment.

Deciduous tooth decay is more common in the first two years of life because mothers put their baby to sleep with milk and several servings of milk during the night. The cause is from lactose in the milk, and when it’s not removed from the teeth, it can cause them to break down.

However, if mothers give their baby some water after feeding or clean their teeth with an ear cleaner or wet cloth, the incidence of such caries is minimized.
At an older age, when the baby eats food, another mistake that mothers make is to give their children sugary meals in multiple servings. However, if they reduce the number of sugary foods to one to two meals a day and then give their child water to brush their teeth, it will help prevent tooth decay.

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What Are The Causes of White Gums?

Normally the healthy gums are pink in color. The result of the poor oral hygiene is having red gums, however, a dentist should be seen immediately if a patient is showing signs of white gums.


Some conditions that can lead to white gums are:


⦁ Leukoplakia : white patches on the mucous membrane
⦁ Leukemia
⦁ Lack of vitamin B12
⦁ Aphthous stomatitis
⦁ Gum inflation
⦁ Lichen planus
⦁ Oral candidiasis
⦁ Dental extraction
⦁ Oral cancer

Patients can prevent themselves from developing white gums by doing the following:


⦁ Brushing the teeth two times a day
⦁ Washing mouth and tongue
⦁ Good nutrition
⦁ Using less sweet and candies
⦁ See the doctor two times a year for check up

White gums should be treated seriously as the reason for them may be quite serious. Always seek medical attention as soon as possible.

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What is the Difference Between Plaque and Tartar?

Plaque and tartar are technically the same thing, just a different stage of the same issue since plaque, if left alone, will eventually turn into tartar.

Plaque is the sticky film that develops over the surface of your teeth. It often goes unnoticed as it’s normally colourless, but it can be a pale yellow as well. Inside the plaque lives bacteria that feeds on sugar and carbohydrates, and if left alone has the potential to cause tooth decay, and swelling in the gums. Plaque, however, is able to be easily removed with regular brushing throughout the day, but if it’s not removed, it turns to tartar.

Tartar unfortunately cannot be removed with brushing alone as it’s the hardened version of plaque and can only be removed by a dentist by means of a sharp tool. Therefore, it’s much better to brush the recommended twice a day to avoid the build-up.

The third and final stage can become many things, but some of the things that tartar can turn into, if not treated in a timely manner include:

  • Cavities
  • Gingivitis
  • Halitosis (commonly known as bad breath)

To prevent the buildup of calculus, regular brushing and bi-yearly trips to the dentist can keep your mouth free of harmful bacteria. Schedule your next appointment with your dentist as soon as possible if you have not already done so for a cleaning, or feel free to ask any further questions you have about plaque, tartar, and what you can do at home to prevent them.

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Should I Remove My Wisdom Teeth?

Most people, once their wisdom teeth come in, choose to get them removed, but do they have to be? Well, it depends on their condition, as well as the impact that they can have on your mouth.

Your wisdom teeth, for those who do not know, are the third and final set of molars that can grow in once a person reaches their late teens or early 20’s. There are some individuals, however, that do not get any wisdom teeth at all. It might be because, physically, we do not have any use for them as we once did before modern technology allowed us to cook and tenderize the foods that we eat today.

For those that choose to keep their wisdom teeth, they should be treated the same as the rest of your teeth, meaning that they have to be cleaned, flossed, and kept free of bacteria. They must also be monitored to ensure that they are not moving and causing problems for the surrounding teeth, such as overcrowding or making the person develop and under-bite.

Wisdom teeth that grow in crooked, or are unable to break through the gum line, need to be removed and should be scheduled for extraction.

A local anesthetic will be applied to the area by a dental surgeon. The wisdom teeth will then be removed. The entire process shouldn’t take any more than an hour, but this could change depending on the number of wisdom teeth being removed, as well as their condition. You will be able to go home the same day.

As for the healing process, patients can expect to be fully healed between a couple of weeks to a month, again depending on how many teeth were extracted, and whether there were rare complications or not. During this time, it is advisable not to drink through any straws as the suction can tear the stitching, or eat any foods that are difficult to chew. Your dental surgeon will be able to provide you with a detailed list of aftercare foods, cleaning instructions, and what to take to ease any discomfort.

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The Correct Way to Brush Your Teeth

Brushing begins after flossing. That way, all of the food particles that were stuck in between the teeth where the toothbrush cannot reach are able to be removed during the brushing process. Brushing and flossing should be done after every meal preferable, but if your schedule does not allow it, it can be done once before bed to get rid of the day’s food and bacteria. However, in order to do this properly, there is a right and a wrong way to brush your teeth. To brush your teeth effectively, follow these steps:

  1. Put a pea-sized amount of toothpaste on your toothbrush.
  2. Angle your toothbrush at a 45-degree angle.
  3. Using a gentle, circular motion, brush the surface of each tooth, making sure to do this carefully as overly aggressive brushing can lead to bleeding gums and early gum recession. Be sure to get the backs of the teeth as well.
  4. Repeat this for 2-3 minutes.
  5. Finish the process by swirling mouthwash in your mouth to get rid of anything leftover. Do not swallow the mixture.

If you’re still struggling to get your teeth clean or have an unusual build up of plaque, contact your dentist for a personalized oral hygiene plan that will best suit your needs.

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The Correct Way to Floss

If you were inspired by our last blog post and wanted to start flossing, but didn’t know how to correctly do so, please read on to find out the correct way to floss your teeth. These easy to follow steps will ensure that you’re cleaning your teeth properly and effectively.

  1. Pull the floss from the package and make it to be about as long as your forearm, then cut it. Some flosses come pre-cut for your convenience.
  2. Wrap the floss around both your index and middle fingers, leaving about a 1-2 inch space for flossing your teeth.
  3. Gently wiggle the string of floss between your teeth, working all the way up to the gum line. Move the floss into a “C” shape to get both the front and back of the gumline as that’s where most food gets trapped. Repeat this process 2-3 times for each tooth.

Be sure to move your way down the line of floss if it is becoming too worn or not removing the particles properly. Gums that are not used to flossing may become sensitive, sore, become inflamed, or even bleed, but once they become accustomed to flossing, they’ll be much healthier and will not bleed anymore, so long as the flossing is done gently and correctly.

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Why Is Flossing Important?

You may think that you’re cleaning your teeth enough by keeping up with brushing them daily, but that’s only scratching the surface of oral hygeine. For a complete clean, you need to floss as well. According the dentists, flossing may be even more important than brushing because it can remove bacteria and food particles that toothbrushes cannot reach. If that bacteria is left alone, it can transform into plaque, and if that isn’t taken care of, tooth decay can occur.

Here are some other problems that can occur because of lack of flossing:

  • Halitosis (bad breath)
  • Gingivitis (Inflammation of the dums)
  • Periodontal Disease
  • Gum disease
  • Cavities
  • Heart problems
  • Increased risk of dementia
  • Increased risk of head and neck cancers

While the last few on the list may seem extreme, they have been linked to those who have an improper oral hygeine routine. It’s never too late to develop a flossing routine, so dig out that sample pack the dentist gave you on your last trip and start today!

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What Are Dental Bridges?

A dental bridge is another procedure that can be done in order to fill in the gaps between teeth where teeth are missing. Though instead of having an artificla root drilled into your jaw like an implant, the strong, surrounding teeth around the gap will be the ones keeping the bridge in place. In a way, a bridge “bridges” the space between the teeth, hence the name. However, in order for the bridge to be successful, the surrounding teeth may have to be altered to acheive natural looking results.

Am I a Candidate?

Like with any procedure, a consultation will be the only way to know for sure whether a dental bridge is right for you. Although, because bridges are less invasive than implants, the requirements are slightly more lenient. The important thing is to have strong, healthy teeth on either side of the gap. Chipped, cracked, and decaying teeth will have to be fixed or replaced before a dental bridge can be put in place.

How Much Does a Dental Bridge Cost?

Like implants, bridges may not be covered under insurance, but financing may be available depending on the office and the reason for getting the bridge. Bridges are by far more affordable than implants, but still quite costly, ranging from $700 to $1500. Should anything need to be changed, removed, or replaced, the cost will be hire in appointments down the road. However, your dentist will clearly lay out the road map for the costs as well as what to expect, and how to care for your bridge to ensure that it stays stable. If properly taken care of, bridges typically have a lifespan between 10-20 years before needing to be replaced or altered.

To find out if dental bridges are right for you, schedule an appointment with your dentist today.

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