The probably most commonly talked about topic in dentistry are the wisdom teeth. Everybody knows someone who has wild stories about these teeth or their removal.
Wisdom tooth removal is common in Germany, because in the region of the jaw angle often is not enough space for them to be functional.
When teeth do not grow into occlusion, they do not have a function. They do, however, harbour the risk of an infection or caries due to poor cleaning possibilities, as well as the risk of affecting the remaining teeth.
Their alignment can be so different, that they can lie horizontally (to various degrees) in the jaw. This is also an indication for their removal.
We prefer the removal of the teeth on one side at a time, so that the side effects of the operation are concentrated on one side only. They can also be removed under general anaesthetic (all four wisdom teeth at once). For this we refer you to an oral or maxillofacial surgeon in our network.
A risk-benefit analysis should be done to determine if the wisdom teeth should be removed after all, it is an operation. Naturally any operation has its risks and possible complications. To minimize the risk in difficult anatomic situations we use Piezosurgery.
The most common risks are
- Damage of the surrounding structures, especially the nerve in the lower jaw (intraalveolar nerve) that supplies all teeth in the lower jaw on that side and the sensory information in the area of the corner of the mouth; the lingual nerve that supplies sensory information to the tongue; as well as the sinuses that may be opened when upper wisdom teeth are removed.
- Wound healing problems, most commonly when post-operative instructions are not followed.