Impacted Wisdom Teeth and Extraction
To understand why dental professionals use coronectomies in some cases, first, we have to understand the standard treatment for impacted wisdom teeth: tooth extraction.
When your wisdom teeth start to come in, often there is not enough space in your mouth to accommodate them. When your tooth doesn’t have enough space to erupt properly, this is referred to as the tooth being impacted.
If left untreated, an impacted tooth may lead to:
- Pain
- Swelling
- Infection
- Cysts
For this reason, your dental professional will recommend treatment to avoid your impacted wisdom teeth causing other oral health concerns. The standard first choice of treatment is a simple extraction of the affected teeth. However, this procedure may not be a good fit for your individual needs. Some people’s wisdom teeth are located too close to nearby (lingual and inferior alveolar) nerves to be extracted safely, making long-term nerve damage a risk.
Nerve damage from a wisdom tooth extraction may cause:
- Pain
- Difficulty eating and chewing
- Speech problems
- Loss of sensation or taste
Helpful tip: If your wisdom teeth are impacted but do not cause pain or infection, your dental professional may recommend no treatment instead of extraction or coronectomy.