What are potential complications of a partially erupted wisdom tooth? (photo)

Doctor's Answers 1

The most common complication would be food trapping. When the food gets built up, it can cause gum inflammation and tooth decay. It will cause more problems if the decay happens to affect other surrounding teeth.

Eventually, it can cause collateral damage as once there is a hole in your wisdom tooth, the hole will only get increasingly bigger.

Nothing is better than your own tooth. Fillings are not as good as your own tooth. But, it also depends on your oral hygiene. In fact, a bad filling can still do its job if you have perfect oral hygiene. However, perfect oral hygiene is impossible to achieve.

Similar Questions

For someone considering wisdom tooth extraction, braces and gum contouring, in what order should I get the treatments?

In preparation for orthodontics, some orthodontists may advise the removal of impacted wisdom teeth to reduce the risk of relapse. However, this is not always necessary and the decision has to be made by the orthodontist in consultation with the patient. Gum contouring is a separate issue to orthodontics and there are many ways that this can be done. Do note that the gums can relapse after contouring if nothing is placed to maintain the gum margins.

Photo of Dr Kevin Ong

Answered By

Dr Kevin Ong

Dentist

What treatments are available for a soft tissue impacted wisdom tooth?

One option would be to get the soft tissue cut out. However, I would recommend removing the wisdom tooth alongside at the same time as cutting the soft tissue out. This is because cutting just the soft tissue may cause a repeated problem. Soft tissues can regrow back over time. The soft tissue will try to revert to how it was before it was cut.

Photo of Dr Jacqueline Feng

Answered By

Dr Jacqueline Feng

Dentist

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