It can be rather surprising to visit a dentist and be told that your child's wisdom teeth need to go when you've never seen them, your child's never felt them, and there's no evidence of them bursting through the surface. Why is it so important for your child to have their wisdom teeth removed now, and what is there to lose if you wait? Keep reading to find out.

Tooth Development

Adult teeth, including wisdom teeth, are actually a part of your body for a long time before they come to the surface. The body actually develops adult teeth and baby teeth at the same time, so your child's wisdom teeth are already there and ready to go. Over time, they gradually start to move towards the surface.

Sprouting Roots

The reason why it's so important to have your child's wisdom teeth taken out sooner rather than later is tooth roots.

When wisdom teeth are just barely starting to move into position, they haven't yet laid down their roots into your child's jaw. All finished adult teeth have roots that sit in the jaw; this is what helps to keep them strong and rigidly in place. Once this has taken place, it's much more difficult to remove the teeth. It's not that dentists can't do it, but it may take more time, be more painful, and could take more time to recover from.

Doing it Now

If you choose to have your child's wisdom teeth taken right away, the process is fairly straightforward will be put under with general anesthesia so they won't feel any pain. From there, an oral surgeon will put an incision in the gums to reveal the wisdom teeth. The wisdom teeth will then be cut free and extracted from the body, and the incision will be stitched closed again.

For comparison's sake, wisdom teeth that have been allowed to set down roots will require some bone removal. This is in order to gain access to the root of the tooth and to fully remove it. In this situation, the bone will be put back in place and will eventually fuse together with the remainder of the jaw. However, the recovery is understandably longer and could be more uncomfortable.

Removing your child's wisdom teeth should be as easy as possible for your child to go through. In order to facilitate this, if your family dentist suggests immediate removal, it's a good idea to agree to it. Keep your child's comfort in mind when you make your decision and say yes to this procedure.

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