Wisdom Tooth: What To Do When A Family Member Has One

Having a wisdom tooth isn’t exactly a sign of wisdom — here’s what it is!

A wisdom tooth usually is a molar — one of the teeth at the very back of our mouths. Some people get it; some don’t. But we have heard horror stories about these alleged signs of wisdom: they usually are impacted, growing underneath our gums and causing pain. Once it does, however, it takes some surgery to remove the wisdom tooth. Unfortunately, they don’t always come one at a time. Some people can have up to four wisdom teeth!

What is a wisdom tooth exactly?

As we watch our kids grow, we learn that there are two kinds of teeth: milk teeth (otherwise known as baby teeth) and permanent teeth. The milk teeth fall out in all sorts of ways. If our kids are the fidgety type, they’ll probably just wiggle or yank it lose themselves. Their love for fruits like pears, apples, or any dense fruit can also remove their baby teeth. Some grandparents even joke on doing it the old fashion way: tying one end of a string to the tooth and the other to the doorknob. One slam of the door and pop — out goes the tooth!

However, a wisdom tooth doesn’t have an absolute timeline as to when they come out. But some say they do pop out during our 20s. Others can have it late, like in their 30s. As to what they actually do, nobody knows. However, some anthropologists and dentists claim that wisdom teeth supposedly has a function — to further grind down food, especially uncooked ones.

Any benefits to removing them?

Assuming they’re not buried under our gums or causing any pain, there’s no actual reason to remove them. Most dental surgeons even advise against removing wisdom teeth for the sake of vanity, citing that they might damage the neighboring teeth should we proceed with the extraction. Especially if we have a history of blood clotting problems or have high blood pressure, some would rather not take the risk (Nourwali, 2021).

There’s also possible nerve damage since they have to “drill” the tooth out. Since wisdom tooth extraction is a surgery, it also runs the risk of post-operation infections (Bailey, Kashbour, Shah, Nowrthington, Renton, and Coulthard, 2020).

Because it’s rare and risky, a lot of insurance policies don’t cover wisdom tooth extractions.

However, removing them does have some merit such as some people just genetically have big teeth. Because of this, it can cause food particles to get trapped and cause the other teeth to decay. In other cases, their size tends to push the other teeth, causing pain and making it hard for anybody to eat (El Kaseh, Al Shayeb, Kuduruthullah, and Gulrez, 2021).

Does everybody grow wisdom teeth?

Not everyone does! At an average, only 5-37% don’t grow wisdom teeth; everyone else does (Farcașiu, Luca, Didilescu, Stanciu, Farcasiu, Vinereanu, & Munteanu, 2022). The chances of these teeth growing badly or being “impacted,” depends on how big our jaws and our teeth are. But cases of hyperdontia (where we grow too many teeth) can cause these wisdom teeth to bury under the gums because they have no space.

Others can develop impacted wisdom teeth because their jaws are too small.

How to care for a family member from a wisdom tooth extraction

We tackle wisdom tooth extractions the same way we tackle braces — temporary change in diet. The jaw, being a delicate joint and muscle, will need time to readjust considering it just got a part of it drilled out.

1. Stick with soups and soft foods

Usually, for the first few days or a week, soups and soft foods make it easier for our family members to eat. Some even resort to pudding or jello. However, many dentists highly discourage any soft foods with large bits on them as they can get stuck in the surgical site, causing post-op infections.

After a week, pasta and rice are back on the menu! Don’t worry!

2. Brushing the teeth gently with a light antibacterial mouthwash

They can still brush their teeth but the place where their wisdom tooth was removed must be brushed gently and well. Sewed together through strings, the extraction site of the wisdom tooth can rip open from any form of rough brushing or hard bristles.

If we’re not comfortable with that, an antibacterial mouthwash can help make sure things stay clean.

3. Serving cold water

A lot of the pain and discomfort goes away after they drink cold water. The cold from the water will numb the nerves, making the pain go away. Just make sure there’s no lemon or ice cube. Lemon has acids that can sting and ice has edges that can tear the threads.

4. Apply a hot and cold compress interchangeably

After the surgery, the jaw will swell and make us feel horrible about our appearance. But applying cold compress and hot compress interchangeably can help reduce the swelling. Cold will cause the blood vessels to thin, making less blood run. Hot compress increases the blood flow, allowing the swelling to shrink.

Remember, be patient with them!

Some of the people who had a wisdom tooth extraction may have been known for their fast eating. And for us who live fast and busy lives, waiting for people who eat slow annoys us. But remember, those who had their wisdom tooth extraction are still trying to figure out their jaws and how it works. It takes time, especially for the anesthesia to wear off.

References

Bailey, E., Kashbour, W., Shah, N., Worthington, H. V., Renton, T. F., & Coulthard, P. (2020). Surgical techniques for the removal of mandibular wisdom teeth. Cochrane database of systematic reviews, (7).

El Kaseh, A., Al Shayeb, M., Kuduruthullah, S., & Gulrez, N. (2021). The retromolar space and wisdom teeth in humans: reasons for surgical tooth extraction. European journal of dentistry, 15(01), 117-121.

Farcașiu, A. T., Luca, R., Didilescu, A., Stanciu, I. A., Farcasiu, C., Vinereanu, A., & Munteanu, A. (2022). Congenitally missing second permanent molars in non‑syndromic patients. Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine, 23(2), 1-12.

Nourwali, I. (2021). The effects of platelet-rich fibrin on post-surgical complications following removal of impacted wisdom teeth: A pilot study. Journal of Taibah University Medical Sciences, 16(4), 521-528.

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