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Wisdom teeth function, common problems and treatment
People often have no room in their jaws for 32 teeth, but only for 28. So if the other teeth have grown well, there is no room left for the wisdom teeth to break through the surface. However, most wisdom teeth pose no problems - as long as they stay deep in the jaw, without pushing up and saliva and food will not pollute them.
contents
- Wisdom Teeth: A Rudiment of Evolution
- Biology and culture in interplay
- The museum in the body
- Discomfort when growing
- No wisdom teeth
- Infections on wisdom teeth
- Symptoms of infection on wisdom teeth
- Pressure on the paranasal sinus
- Prevent infection of the wisdom teeth
- floss
- Home remedy for infected wisdom teeth
- salt
- clove
- Garlic and onions
- Peppermint and sage
- Removal of wisdom teeth
- How do you behave after the operation??
Wisdom Teeth: A Rudiment of Evolution
Wisdom teeth arise because the jaw space became too small in our evolution at some point. Therefore, they break out in places where there is no room left for them. This can lead to inflammation. Apart from wisdom teeth, the clasps that children and adolescents often need to wear in order to put teeth on the line are also due to our smaller pines.
The wisdom teeth are located at the very back of the mouth, at the end of the row of teeth. They are considered a relic from earlier times, when the human had a larger dentition. (Image: Alexandr Mitiuc / fotolia.com) Although human civilization has the advantage of being able to control the environment, biological evolution often did not lag behind. One rule of evolution is that it works with the existing material, transforming organs for new purposes - to the nose of the elephant, with whom he also takes his food. And it will restore large organs if they do not provide a survival advantage.
Oversized organs require an immense amount of energy, teeth and jaws need calories, vitamins and minerals. Not only the jaw was smaller, the bones were getting weaker. With the end of life as a hunter-gatherer, strong bones were no longer vital.
Our ancestors had much larger jaws than we did, allowing them to chew a diet of nuts, roots, raw meat, and raw vegetables. With the fire, the man made a kind of second dentition, in addition came tools to cut the food into bite-sized bites. By cooking, roasting and grilling, the raw meat broke away from the bone and became softer: we no longer needed teeth to chew up coarse-grained plants. The wisdom teeth, a third pair of molars, were probably just there before.
Biology and culture in interplay
In humans, a biosocial interplay between his body and his culturally developed forms of behavior probably took place. Constant chewing not only requires tall pine with enough space for the teeth, it also promotes it. Crushed and overcooked food, however, meant that these mechanical stimuli failed, and so the jaw shrank.
People have a typical omnivore dentition, with three pairs of effective molars typical of plant eaters that grind their food. Presumably, our jaws formed with the ever-increasing growth of our brains. The skull and the back of the head needed to grow, and that only worked when the jaw receded. Our relatives, chimpanzees and gorillas, have much firmer jaws (and smaller brains) than we do.
Chimpanzees and gorillas have a significantly stronger jaw than humans. (Image: Alexander Potapov / fotolia.com) The museum in the body
As the coccyx, rudiment of a tail, the appendix for appendicitis or small fifth toe with which monkeys shimmy through trees, are wisdom teeth rudiments of evolution. This is also supported by the fact that 35% of people are born without them.
It is also a relic insofar that these teeth often do not grow "right". The crown only partially peeks out and a bag of tissue forms, trapping food particles. In addition, the opposite tooth is usually missing, and this is necessary for a tooth to grow in the right position for a bite. Without this corrective it keeps growing.
Something else has changed recently - dental hygiene and dentistry. Even among farmers and workers a hundred years ago, the molars fell out frequently, died or had to be pulled. Wisdom teeth were then useful to compensate for these gaps. Simple toothpaste counteracts today as well as effective dentures, filled holes and bridges.
Well over one million operations a year make this evolutionary shortcoming one of the most common surgical procedures.
Discomfort when growing
Wisdom teeth check dentists regularly with X-rays. If wisdom teeth develop normally, grow straight up, function normally, and do not interfere with other teeth, there is no reason to remove them.
Unfortunately, wisdom teeth usually grow in the wrong place and at a wrong angle. Degrading wisdom teeth are then a paradise for bacteria and food remains accumulate in the gaps they create. It is difficult to cleanse them, and infections are common.
Studies showed that the overall condition of the teeth improved significantly after the removal of the wisdom teeth. However, wound healing after removing infected wisdom teeth is complicated and many dentists advise removing these teeth before they become ill.
No wisdom teeth
Evolution never stops. Today, in Western countries, more and more people are born without wisdom teeth from generation to generation, and no wisdom teeth develop in life. We experience evolution as before our eyes.
Often the wisdom teeth only partially or not at all, which can cause pain, swelling or inflammation. (Image: REDPIXEL / fotolia.com) Infections on wisdom teeth
60% of all people have experience with one or more ingrown wisdom teeth, and repeated infections are usually the reason to have them removed. Such infections can be very painful and have serious consequences. They can spread uncontrollably in the face and swell enormously. The swelling can cause the affected people can not open their mouths.
If this is the case, the infection must be controlled before the tooth can be removed. Wisdom teeth infections are potential time bombs - if the infection spreads to the head, it can even become life-threatening.
Symptoms of infection on wisdom teeth
The most common sign of infection is a pain emanating from the infected region. We do not necessarily have to feel the pain there the most. Through the nerve impulses we feel pain in the entire jaw, neck or throat and even get a headache.
The pain can cause swelling of the lymph nodes, facial swelling and swollen jaw, as well as bad taste in the mouth and bad breath. Also the food can be difficult.
An infected tooth is serious and can be difficult to treat. Wisdom teeth are often covered with gums, even if an infection begins.
Pressure on the paranasal sinus
Wisdom teeth can cause discomfort in the sinuses, but this rarely happens. Symptoms include headache and fatigue. In addition, when wisdom teeth grow in the upper jaw, they sit because of their location far back in the mouth directly below the paranasal sinuses. As the teeth grow and develop their roots, they can bump into the paranasal sinuses, exerting pressure and triggering headaches. About 85% of all wisdom teeth need to be removed.
Prevent infection of the wisdom teeth
Regular visits to the dentist are the best precaution against infections of the wisdom teeth, because such an infection does not start overnight. A serious dentist recognizes a long time before something ignites, whether a wisdom tooth grows problematically and thus leads to an infection in the long run.
Regular visits to the dentist are important in order to detect a possible infection on the wisdom teeth in good time. (Image: 4frame group / fotolia.com) As with all dental infections, dental hygiene is also a good preventive measure. The first thing to do is to brush your teeth with a soft toothbrush at least twice a day. Even anti-inflammatory mouth rinses at least once a day are a good prevention.
floss
Especially with wisdom teeth cleaning with dental floss is also necessary. Due to their location and their extraordinary growth, the teeth of wisdom form a particularly large amount of deposits of food and bacteria. Dental floss also removes this coating between the teeth in areas where the toothbrush does not enter.
Home remedy for infected wisdom teeth
Expressly: Infected wisdom teeth are a case for the dentist and usually also for the oral surgeon. Home remedies can only alleviate the pain, but do not literally pack the infection at the root.
salt
An important remedy is salt. It reduces the inflammation on the gums and slows their spread. You can either apply saline directly to the infected area or rinse your mouth with salt water. Make sure that the water reaches the infected area.
You can also sprinkle salt on a soft toothbrush and gently brush the tooth and infected gums. Be sure to avoid heavy pressure as it causes additional pain.
clove
An old home remedy for toothache and infections on the teeth is carnation. This is next to salt, the drug of first choice, if you have acute symptoms and do not immediately get a doctor's appointment. Carnation has a numbing effect and at the same time acts against bacteria and infections. So you kill two birds with one stone and get the remedy in every supermarket.
Cloves are a proven home remedy for acute toothache. (Image: schwede-photodesign / fotolia.com) You do not have to buy expensive clove oil. In the spice department you will find clove powder and / or dried flower stems. Both work. The powder can be dissolved in water or chewed and brought with the tongue and saliva on the inflamed area. Or you stir it to a paste and carry it with a cotton swab pinpoint on the infection.
The taste is not for everyone, clove powder tastes bitter and burns a little in the mouth. But it has no side effects and you can always go back and forth with the saliva in the mouth when the pain recurs.
Garlic and onions
Garlic and onions counteract inflammation and inhibit the spread of bacteria. Both are great for preventing infection from occurring. The drawback is the intense smell, which can be contained by the simultaneous consumption of parsley.
It is best to just chew raw fresh garlic or raw onions. You can boil onions but also briefly and drink the onion juice. It is even better to squeeze onions in a juicer and to take the raw juice. You can also drizzle concentrated garlic oil on the infected area.
Peppermint and sage
Peppermint excellently supplements onions and garlic, because it has a slightly narcotic and antibacterial effect. But that is not the only reason why it is contained in toothpaste. The positive side effect of using garlic and peppermint to relieve toothache is: The fragrance of peppermint keeps the exhalations of garlic in check.
Sage is also anti-infective and slightly numbing. It is best to cook fresh or dried sage leaves into a tea and drink it lukewarm so that it comes to the infected area. Or, better yet, they chew fresh sage leaves and direct the saliva to the infection.
To prevent infections, you should regularly drink fresh mint tea and / or use mint in food.
An insider tip is chilled tea bags, which they put directly on the infection in the mouth. To do this you boil a cup of hot water, put a tea bag in it and then put the cup in the fridge. When the water has cooled, remove the bag and place it directly on the aching gums. Ideal is a tea bag containing cloves or peppermint.
Cooling with an ice cube bag will help relieve the pain and soothe the swelling. (Image: diego cervo / fotolia.com) Generally helps against the pain of inflammation, and to reduce the swelling, cold. But you should not let any ice-cold water flow directly to the tooth. This first causes additional pain in the nerves. It is better to put a bag of ice cubes on the outside of the jaw and let it work.
Only conditionally recommended is alcohol. Percent alcohol stuns and is therefore good for reducing the pain. First of all, you should not drink the double grain or vodka, just pull saliva over the infected area. But as alcohol enters the body via the mucous membranes of the mouth, sooner or later you will get drunk. This can lead to problems when immediate dental surgery is in order, because many narcotics of dentistry are not compatible with alcohol.
For all these home remedies: Infected wisdom teeth cause hellish pain. These can only be alleviated with home remedies, but not canceled out.
Removal of wisdom teeth
If a wisdom tooth is regular in the row of teeth, it can be easily removed. The upper jaw bones are less compact than those in the lower jaw, which makes it easier to extract teeth.
The removal is done under local anesthetic by a dentist, but usually by an oral or maxillofacial surgeon. For very severe operations, general anesthesia is possible. The incision is made on the ridge.
First, the bone or tooth is exposed, then the bone covering the tooth is milled away. Surgical sutures close the wound.
After surgery, there is great pain at the wound site, and patients receive analgesics for several days until the wound heals. It should not be aspirin, as it promotes blood flow. Sometimes an antibiotic is also required, for example if there is a risk of infection due to a large interface.
The extraction of the wisdom teeth is usually under local anesthesia, but can also be performed under general anesthesia. (Image: sebra / fotolia.com) Possible complications include bruising, difficulty opening and swallowing the mouth, and infection of the jawbone. Bleeding is possible, as is a fracture of the lower jaw.
How do you behave after the operation??
Even if it's hard, because your mouth smells bad, and scab is like blood in the mouth - do not rinse your mouth in the first few days after the operation, because rinsing hinders the healing process.
Avoid alcohol, it inhibits blood clotting, this also applies to coffee and cigarettes. On the day of the surgery you should only consume soups and porridge.
Rinse no, brush teeth yes. Only clean the wound area during the first few days of cleaning. Avoid intense sports and heavy physical work. The rising blood pressure can trigger rebleeding. (Somayeh Ranjbar)
Specialist supervision: Barbara Schindewolf-Lensch (doctor)
Literature:
Guideline Surgical removal of wisdom teeth of the German Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. AWMF online.