What care should be taken after the extraction of impacted teeth?

Impacted teeth are teeth that are not properly positioned in the jaw and cannot erupt into a normal bite position. Impacted tooth extraction is a very common oral surgery, and proper postoperative care is essential for recovery and prevention of complications. Let's learn more about it in this article.

1. What is impacted tooth

Impacted teeth, also known as impacted teeth, are a common concept in stomatology. They refer to teeth that cannot erupt normally to their normal positions in the jawbone due to various reasons. Impacted teeth not only affect the beauty and neatness of teeth, but may also cause a series of oral problems. Therefore, timely understanding and handling of impacted teeth is of great significance to maintaining oral health.

2. Causes of impacted teeth

The formation of impacted teeth is closely related to the changes in living habits during human evolution. With the development of human society, our eating habits have gradually changed from coarse to fine, and the frequency and intensity of the use of chewing organs have gradually decreased, resulting in the degeneration of the jaw faster than the degeneration of the teeth. This inconsistency between the amount of jaw and teeth in the evolutionary process makes the length of the jaw insufficient to accommodate all teeth to grow smoothly, thus leading to the formation of impacted teeth. Secondly, lesions inside the jaw are also a common cause of impacted teeth. For example, tumors such as odontoma may grow in the middle of the jaw. These tumors will occupy the space of the jaw and hinder the normal eruption of teeth, thus leading to the formation of impacted teeth. In addition, the retention of deciduous teeth is also an important cause of impacted teeth. Humans have two sets of teeth, one set is deciduous teeth and the other set is permanent teeth. In the process of deciduous teeth falling off and permanent teeth growing out, if the deciduous teeth fail to fall off in time, they will occupy the position that permanent teeth should have, resulting in the inability of permanent teeth to grow normally, forming impacted teeth.

3. What are the effects of impacted teeth?

1. Impacted teeth are prone to tooth decay: Due to the abnormal position and direction of impacted teeth, food residues are easily accumulated around the teeth, making oral cleaning difficult. Long-term accumulation of food residues will lead to bacterial growth, which in turn causes tooth decay. Tooth decay not only affects the appearance of teeth, but may also cause pain and affect the quality of life.

(ii) Impacted teeth may also cause pericoronitis: When impacted teeth are partially or completely covered by the gums, a blind pocket will form between the gums and the teeth, which will become a breeding ground for food residues, exudates and bacteria. When the body's resistance is reduced, the bacteria in the blind pocket may cause pericoronitis, leading to symptoms such as swollen gums and pain.

(III) Impacted teeth may also lead to malocclusion: Due to the incorrect position and direction of the impacted teeth, the growth direction of other teeth may deviate in the long run, leading to malocclusion. Malocclusion not only affects the appearance, but also may affect the chewing function and aggravate tooth wear.

( IV ) Impacted teeth may also cause cystic lesions: Odontogenic cystic lesions of the jaw are more likely to occur in impacted teeth that have not erupted, among which the probability of mandibular wisdom teeth being blocked is the highest. In this case, it is easy to develop a tooth-containing cyst, and the continuous expansion of the cyst may cause jaw damage and affect oral health.

4. How to care after extraction

1. Postoperative rest and diet: Avoid strenuous exercise within 24 hours after surgery to avoid aggravating wound bleeding. Do not eat within 2 hours after surgery to avoid food residues affecting wound healing. After 2 hours, you can eat soft food or semi-liquid food, such as porridge, noodles, etc. Avoid eating overheated, hard, spicy and other irritating foods to avoid irritating the wound and aggravating pain.

(ii) Oral hygiene: Do not brush your teeth or rinse your mouth within 24 hours after surgery to avoid disrupting the blood clot and affecting wound healing. You can rinse your mouth gently after 24 hours to keep your mouth clean. Within one week after tooth extraction, avoid chewing food on the side where the tooth was extracted to avoid affecting wound healing. If necessary, you can use mouthwash as prescribed by your doctor to prevent infection.

(III) Observe the wound: Closely observe the bleeding of the tooth extraction wound. If there is heavy bleeding, seek medical attention immediately. If there are symptoms such as persistent pain, swelling, fever, etc., seek medical attention immediately to avoid delaying treatment.

( IV ) Follow the doctor's advice: Strictly follow the doctor's advice for postoperative care and do not change the treatment plan on your own. If you need to take antibiotics, painkillers and other drugs, you should take them on time and in the right amount.

(V) Maintain oral hygiene: Developing good oral hygiene habits is the key to preventing complications of impacted teeth. Brush your teeth and rinse your mouth regularly to keep your mouth clean. When brushing your teeth, use the correct brushing method to ensure that each tooth is fully cleaned.

In addition to the care considerations mentioned above, there are other ways to help you better manage and prevent impacted teeth. For example, maintaining a balanced diet and taking in enough calcium and vitamin D can help maintain the health of your teeth and bones. In addition, proper exercise and maintaining a good work and rest habit can also help improve your body's immunity and prevent the occurrence of oral diseases.

In short, proper care after impacted tooth extraction is essential for recovery and prevention of complications. Patients should follow the doctor's advice, pay attention to oral hygiene, rest and diet, observe the wound condition, etc., to promote wound healing and reduce the occurrence of complications. At the same time, regular follow-up is also an important measure to ensure the effectiveness of treatment. If you feel any discomfort, please seek medical attention in time to avoid delaying treatment.

Author: Lu Zhimin, Xuyong County Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Luzhou City, Sichuan Province