Wisdom Teeth Extraction

Wisdom teeth are the third molars that are the last teeth to erupt in the back of your mouth. They normally erupt between 18 and 21. Occasionally, they find their way out much later than that; some never erupt at all. Thanks to evolution, we're evolving into the proud ownership of smaller jaws; unfortunately our teeth aren't quite keeping pace. Most of our jaws only have room for 28 teeth; but with the wisdom teeth we have 32. This means that they have nowhere to go if there's not enough room remaining.

Extracting wisdom teeth can be uncomplicated or it may involve surgery to remove bone surrounding the teeth. More importantly, the roots of these teeth can be closely involved with two nerves around that area of the jaw. It is important to know where these nerves are prior to extraction to give an accurate prognosis of the likelihood of trauma to these nerves. An panoramic x-ray known as an OPG gives us information as to the proximity of the nerve to these teeth. However, as an OPG is a 2D representation of a 3D object it cannot always provide sufficient information. To give this details, a CT scan is required. With the state-of-the-art PaX Uni-3D Cone Beam CT x-ray that is available at Cosmic Smile Dental, this 3D relationship can be accurately determined. Wisdom teeth extraction can thus be safely performed in our office, or if necessary referred to an Oral Surgeon with the CT scan.



OPG of impacted lower wisdom teeth

CT screenshot of impacted lower left third molar (wisdom tooth). The scan shows the position of the root of the tooth in relation to the adjacent alveolar nerve. The scan provides additional information to the OPG above and allows for assessment and planning prior to surgery.