If you have a teenager or college student who hasn’t already had a consultation for their third molars (wisdom teeth), the best thing to do is have them come in for an evaluation before they start having problems with them. Days off from school, like during spring break, are a great time to schedule a wisdom tooth consultation and extraction in Suffolk County. Here is an explanation of a few things that you can expect at your appointment.
Wisdom Tooth X-Ray
When you come in for a wisdom tooth consultation, the first thing we’ll need to do is to take a panoramic or 3D image of your teen’s mouth. This x-ray is different than the smaller films we usually take at regular dental check-ups. Your teen will stand in front of the machine and rest their chin on the support, and bite down on a small device. Once we have your child in the proper position, the large outer part of the machine will spin around their head to take the image. This part only takes a few seconds. The result will be a single film that shows all of their teeth and facial anatomy from their nose to their neck, including each of their wisdom teeth and the areas around them.
What We Look For In The Wisdom Tooth X-Ray
Once the image is ready, our Suffolk County dentist will evaluate the wisdom teeth to see how they’re positioned.
Some people don’t develop all four wisdom teeth, so that’s one of the first things that we’ll check for. It’s really unknown as to why some people don’t develop all four of their third molars, but it’s likely a genetic factor that runs in the family.
We’ll also look to see how far along in development they are. Are they still little buds? Are the roots fully-formed? This typically depends on the age of your child.
Positioning is important too, so our dentist will look to see if they are coming in straight, slanted, or if they are impacted. A lot of wisdom teeth are turned completely sideways, which can cause a lot of pressure and pain as well as damage to the other teeth.
There are also specific nerves that we need to look at, especially on the lower jaw. The trigeminal nerve controls the pain, touch, and temperature sensations in your face. If the roots of the wisdom teeth run along this nerve, we may recommend that a wait-and-see approach or refer them to a specialist, because of the complex nature of the oral surgery.
Deciding to Remove Wisdom Teeth
After taking a thorough look at the x-ray and getting a firsthand visual of your teen’s wisdom teeth, our Long Island dentist will give you and your child their recommendation on if and when to remove their wisdom teeth.
Spring break is the perfect time for a wisdom tooth extraction. Call today to schedule an exam with our Long Island dentist to before remaining appointments fill up!
