Four Signs Your Teen Needs Her 3rd Molars Removed
Conventional dentistry indicates that wisdom teeth should be removed early, but recently, many dental professionals argue that the third molars can be healthy and should not be automatically considered for removal. The truth lies somewhere in the middle.
Here are some of the warning signs you should watch for in your teen to help you know when to see the dentist about wisdom teeth:
Chronic Sinus Pain: As upper third molars grow and erupt, they can become swollen and infected. The pain may be referred back into the sinuses. This could be a difficult diagnosis if your child also has allergies, as a medical doctor may simply treat for a sinus infection. Full facial imaging can help determine the true cause.
Jaw and Mouth Pain: Unerupted third molars tend to put pressure back into the jaw. It may hurt to open and close, causing symptoms like temporomandibular disorder (TMD.) Patients may also experience pain, swelling, or redness in the back of their mouth where the wisdom teeth are located. However, when those teeth begin to erupt, they hurt the mouth, too. Part of this is regular teething pain, but the other part is because…
Wisdom Teeth Don’t Always Come in All the Way. If your teen’s wisdom teeth have only come in part way and the gum is still covering a portion of it, they may need to be extracted. Leaving it in place will only allow bacteria and food particles to slide under the gums, which creates infection, cavities and deterioration of the surrounding bone and teeth.
Chronic Bad Breath. Teens are not the most hygienic people. But if you know your teen does regularly brush and floss, that bad breath could be symptomatic of inflammation and infection in the are of the wisdom teeth.
At Park Avenue Oral & Facial Surgery, we can determine if your teenager’s wisdom teeth are growing straight or if they are or will be impacted, requiring extraction. Call our Manhattan office today for a consultation and help get your teen’s teeth healthy.