Can I have my wisdom teeth removed during pregnancy?

Growing wisdom teeth is particularly painful. The most obvious characteristics are pain and swelling. In severe cases, it will affect the health of the oral cavity and cause problems such as tooth distortion. It is generally recommended to remove wisdom teeth in order to fundamentally solve the problem. However, there are many precautions for removing wisdom teeth. They must be removed at the right time and in the right state. So, can wisdom teeth be removed during pregnancy?

Oral diseases have become a modern

[Term explanation] A normal person has 32 permanent teeth, 8 on the upper and lower left and right sides. The 8th tooth closest to the throat is medically called the "third molar", commonly known as wisdom tooth. It usually erupts around the age of 20, so people also call it the "establishing tooth".

Misplaced wisdom teeth are prone to caries

Why are wisdom teeth difficult to erupt and easily inflamed? The increasingly sophisticated processing of food has led to the degeneration of human chewing organs, and the stimulation to the jaw when eating has become less and less. Therefore, in the process of evolution, the human jaw became smaller, the length of the jaw was not coordinated with the required length of the dentition, the jaw was underdeveloped, and there was not enough space to accommodate the eighth tooth, resulting in "the third molar did not grow out, and the front teeth were squeezed crooked". For some people, the crown of their teeth is completely covered by the gums, forming a deep blind pocket between the crowns. Food and bacteria can easily become embedded in them, and the gums are often damaged by chewing food, forming ulcers.

In addition, modern people are under increasing pressure and have a fast pace of life. When they are tired, anxious, or when their body resistance is reduced or the virulence of local bacteria is enhanced, it will cause an acute attack of pericoronitis of wisdom teeth.

Remove wisdom teeth that do not erupt normally as soon as possible

Many people are confused about whether wisdom teeth should be removed. During medical treatment, I have found that although some patients' wisdom teeth are not inflamed, they are often impacted by fibrous food, which can cause bad breath in mild cases and caries in the neck of the second molar in severe cases, and even cause loss of the second molar. Impacted wisdom teeth often cannot establish a normal occlusal relationship with the opposing teeth, which may lead to symptoms such as clicking of the temporomandibular joint, pain when opening the mouth, and bruxism at night over a long period of time. For wisdom teeth that cannot erupt normally, they should be removed as soon as possible after the acute inflammation is controlled.

Early extraction of wisdom teeth reduces damage to adjacent teeth

From a preventive perspective, early removal can prevent many complications caused by it. The best time to extract the tooth is between 16 and 18 years old. At this time, about 1/3 of the tooth root has been formed, making extraction easier. The patient has better endurance, the wound heals more quickly, and the regeneration of the alveolar bone and the reattachment of the skin are better, which is also beneficial to the recovery of periodontal damage to adjacent teeth.

■ Special attention

Wisdom teeth can be extracted during pregnancy, which can be done in the fourth, fifth and sixth months of pregnancy.

Try to avoid tooth extraction during pregnancy. In order to avoid the onset of pericoronitis of wisdom teeth, wisdom teeth that fail to erupt normally should be removed before pregnancy. If wisdom teeth must be extracted during pregnancy, you can choose to have them extracted during the 4th, 5th, and 6th trimesters of pregnancy. In the first 3 months and the last 3 months, you should focus on anti-inflammatory measures and avoid tooth extraction. If wisdom teeth are often inflamed during pregnancy, you should choose antibacterial drugs or take Chinese herbal medicine for clearing heat and detoxification according to the condition. You can also rinse the blind bag with 1%-3% hydrogen peroxide solution and saline every day, then insert 3% iodine glycerin, and gargle with hydrogen peroxide plus twice the amount of water. Then, gargle with light salt water to relieve inflammation and perform local treatment. In the early stages of pregnancy, local physical therapy and external application of Chinese herbal medicine can help absorb inflammation. If an abscess cavity is formed, it can be incised and drained. If the inflammation is severe and not controlled in time, the patient's face will swell and he or she will need to go to the hospital for infusion.

■ Doctor's orders

Precautions after tooth extraction

1. Do not rinse your mouth or brush your teeth on the day of tooth extraction.

2. After tooth extraction, do not lick the extraction wound with the tip of your tongue, and do not suck it repeatedly.

3. Tooth extraction is not allowed during menstruation, let alone wisdom teeth extraction, as compensatory bleeding may occur.

4. After the removal of complex wisdom teeth, there will usually be swelling, pain, difficulty opening the mouth, pain when swallowing, etc. The longer the extraction time, the greater the possibility of cheek swelling. Take oral anti-inflammatory drugs and the swelling will generally subside within 3-5 days.

5. If there is obvious bleeding or fever after tooth extraction, go to the hospital for treatment immediately.

Retainable wisdom teeth

If you feel that wisdom teeth are not a bother, you can decide for yourself whether to have them removed. So, what kind of wisdom teeth are worth keeping?

1. The position is relatively correct, and it is expected to erupt normally or has already erupted normally, without food impaction.

2. There is no history of inflammation or pain in the soft tissue around the wisdom teeth, and there is no caries in the wisdom teeth.

3. The upper and lower wisdom teeth bite in an orderly manner.