All You Need to Know About Wisdom Teeth

If someone ever told you that the growth of wisdom teeth makes you wise, they might not entirely be wrong. While there is no link between wisdom teeth and the intellect of a person, wisdom teeth usually come in during the late teens and pre-twenties? And well, with age, comes wisdom. Welcome to adulthood!

While most of us know what wisdom teeth are, here’s a short recap from the school days. Wisdom teeth are the last set of molars that comes in between the age of 17 to 21 to complete your 32 teeth. You get two on the upper jaw and two on your lower jaw.

 

The growth of wisdom teeth could be a painful experience for most people due to a lack of space in the gums or abnormal growth. The last set of molars usually grows horizontally towards the existing molars pressing onto them, or towards the opposite direction. It could also grow outward or inward. All of these could cause immense pain and infections. This is one of the main reasons why people need to get their wisdom teeth extracted.

 

Other common reasons as to why wisdom teeth need extraction include infection or cavities, damage to nearby teeth, lesions (abnormal-looking tissues), bone loss around roots, and lack of space for brushing or flossing.

 

If your wisdom teeth are aligned perfectly well, creating no issues, most dentists and health specialists don’t recommend extracting completely healthy teeth.

 

However, some dentists suggest tooth extraction even before they come in to avoid any problems in the future. In some cases, before the tooth comes in a sack of tissues around the wisdom tooth can develop a cyst leading to bone loss in your jaw. Besides, common complications listed above might also occur as the tooth comes in. So, they believe that not getting wisdom teeth removed is just avoiding the inevitable. However, it is always in your best interest to take a second opinion from another dentist if you have any doubts about your dentist’s suggestion and home remedies for tooth infection.

 

If more than half of your tooth is out of the gum, your dentist will go for a simple extraction. For this procedure, your gums are numbed and then injected with stronger anesthesia, following which, your tooth is loosened with the help of a tool called an elevator and pulled out with dental forceps. Once your tooth is out, the area is cleaned and packed with dental gauze to stop bleeding.

 

After the procedure, you might feel sore for a few days and experience a little bleeding on the day of the extraction. So, you shouldn’t brush your teeth or rinse for 24 hours. It is recommended to gargle with lukewarm salt water every two hours from the next day for a week.

 

If more than half of your tooth is under your gum, your dentist will go for a surgical extraction. As this procedure requires cutting open your gum, your dentist might refer you to an oral surgeon. During this procedure, you’ll be subjected to general anesthesia to make you unconscious. Then, your doctor will cut open your gum to remove the tooth from its root. Depending upon the position of your tooth, your doctor might have to cut a small portion of your jaw bone. As this is a surgical procedure, you might require stitches.

 

After the procedure, it is safe to take a cab or ask someone to drive you, as you might still feel groggy. You will be prescribed some form of painkillers to relieve the pain. And, if your jaw is swollen, placing an ice pack could help reduce the swelling. Fully opening the mouth may be difficult for a week, so sticking to soft food is advisable.

 

One common complication that may occur after a wisdom tooth extraction is dry socket that occurs when a blood clot doesn’t form, or the clot is dislodged. It could cause dull to severe pain, along with the bad breath.

 

In rare cases, you might experience paresthesia. It happens when nerves around the jawbone are damaged or bruised. It could lead to numbness of tongue, lip, or chin that could last from a few days to a few years. In some cases, it could even be permanent.

If you happen to experience any abnormalities such as difficulty swallowing or breathing, continuous bleeding, or severe pain, call your Eve Dental Centre immediately.

The post All You Need to Know About Wisdom Teeth appeared first on Eve Dental Centre Cranbourne North.

source https://evedentalcentre.com.au/all-you-need-to-know-about-wisdom-teeth/

Thumbsucking & Pacifier Use

There’s no such thing as a secret parenting hack to make all your worries go away. There’s always a lot of confusion with so many opinions from so many different people. But remember, only YOU know what’s best for YOUR kid.

 

One of the very first parental decisions you have to make for your child might concern your child’s sucking behavior. Do you let your child suck on their thumb or get a pacifier? Is it even healthy for your child to keep sucking? At what age do kids usually stop sucking? What happens if they don’t stop?

 

Before you get into the nitty-gritty listed by the Dental Care Specialists at Eve Dental Care, let’s begin with why do kids engage in non-nutritional sucking?

 

Well, it is an innate behavior that helps them soothe themselves. It provides a sense of security and helps cope with disturbing situations, such as being away from the parents or in an unfamiliar environment.

Thumbsucking vs. Pacifiers

While there are many debates backed by facts and rumors as to what’s best for the babies, it’s crucial to keep in mind that every child is different. While pacifiers might work for most kids, thumbsucking might be the best choice for others.

One of the reasons, why pacifiers might be a better choice compared to thumbsucking, is the fact that it is associated with a reduction in the rate of SIDS, also known as Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. What better reason to give your child a pacifier than the fact that it could save their lives? Another great reason to give your child a pacifier is that weaning your child off pacifiers is easy, compared to their thumb.

However, the use of pacifiers might not be okay for all babies. The rigorous continuous sucking of pacifiers could cause your child’s ear to be abnormally open, allowing fluids from the throat to seep into the middle ear, causing ear infections. So, if your child starts getting an ear infection, it’s best to take away the pacifier. Another drawback of using a pacifier is the fact that the child might cry every time the pacifier drops while sleeping. It causes you to wake multiple times during a night.

Before You Give your Babies Pacifiers

Hygiene: Make sure that the pacifier is clean. You don’t want any germs making their way into your child’s system.

Safety Check: Don’t attach the pacifier with a string long enough to be wrapped around your child’s neck. You never know when an accident might happen.

At What Age Do Kids Usually Stop Sucking?

Most kids usually stop sucking once they start exploring the surroundings and blabbing, around the age of 2 to 4. Some kids take longer and stop once they start going to school and interacting with friends.

What Happens If They Don’t Stop?

If your kids don’t stop sucking on their pacifier or thumb by the age of 5, it could cause serious damage to the development of their mouths. Aggressive sucking is known to create issues with the alignment of their teeth. In severe cases, it could also cause changes in the roof of the child’s mouth.

How to Make your Child Stop Sucking?

Well, for starters, don’t scold your child every time they suck on their thumb. As sucking is a reflex action to soothe them during difficult situations, scolding could make them anxious which could prolong the sucking behavior. Instead, you could try to understand what makes them feel uncomfortable and comfort them. Adding on, you could give your child words of encouragement every time your child doesn’t suck on their thumb.

If these methods don’t work, you could also try bandaging their finger or putting a clean sock on their fingers before they go to bed.

What Do You Do When Nothing Works?

Children can be stubborn, and habits are difficult to break. But that doesn’t mean impossible. The best option after you exhausted all your resources would be to take your child to a pediatric dentist. Your dentist could help your kid understand the consequences in detail, which might help convince them to leave their finger sucking habit. Your dentist could also prescribe a mouth appliance or medication to apply on your child’s finger to control the behavior.

Please note, it is always the best to call your pediatrician for dental implants & services or any other health care if you notice any abnormalities or have any questions.

The post Thumbsucking & Pacifier Use appeared first on Eve Dental Centre Cranbourne North.

source https://evedentalcentre.com.au/thumbsucking-pacifier-use/