Wisdom teeth can be a real pain. They can literally cause your discomfort, and they can also be a massive, big convenience.
Once you start to experience issues with your wisdom teeth, you may need to get your wisdom teeth removed. For many people, this can be a real cause of anxiety.
Statistics show that somewhere between 50 and 80% of Americans have some level of anxiety when it comes to the dentist, and wisdom teeth removal can take this fear one step further.
This is because there have been a lot of suggestions that wisdom teeth removal can alter the shape of your face. But is this actually true?
In most cases it isn’t.
In this guide, we’ll be taking a look at where this idea comes from, and whether, or not, wisdom teeth removal can change the shape of your face.
So keep on reading to find out more!
What Are Wisdom Teeth?
Wisdom teeth are something that most people have heard of.
But, if you haven’t experienced issues with your wisdom teeth, then you might not be entirely sure what they are.
Wisdom teeth are usually the last teeth to come through your gums, and for some people, their wisdom teeth will never push through their gums.
Most people have 4 wisdom teeth in their mouth, and these teeth can be found in each corner of the mouth – 2 at the top, and 2 at the bottom.
They do not come through the same time as the rest of your teeth, but they will usually grow through your mouth in your late teens to mid-twenties.
In our evolutionary past, wisdom teeth were once essential.
But, as humans have evolved, and diets have changed, these teeth have become redundant, so they don’t always grow through.
In fact, around 35% of the population won’t have any wisdom teeth. Now that we know what wisdom teeth are, let’s take a look at why they are extracted.
Why Are Wisdom Teeth Extracted?
So wisdom teeth are teeth that sometimes grow into your mouth later in life than the rest of your adult teeth.
But even when you know what wisdom teeth are, you might be wondering why they get extracted, let’s find out.
As we have mentioned, wisdom teeth can often cause pain and discomfort.
For some people this pain can be extreme, and this is because there isn’t room in their mouths for the wisdom teeth.
Overcrowding is a very common dental problem for many people, and that is why a lot of people have to have teeth removed as part of their orthodontic treatment.
If the mouth is overcrowded before the wisdom teeth grow in, then there will not be room for the wisdom teeth.
When this occurs, the wisdom tooth becomes an impacted wisdom tooth.
Impacted wisdom teeth are wisdom teeth that cause large amounts of pain because there is no room in the mouth for them to grow into.
As the wisdom tooth attempts to force its way into your mouth, it can cause extreme pain, infection, and it can damage your other teeth too.
This is why wisdom tooth extraction is recommended for those who have impacted wisdom teeth.
Does Wisdom Teeth Removal Change Face Shape?
If you are somebody who has experienced persistent problems with your wisdom teeth, then your dentist will likely recommend that you get your wisdom teeth extracted.
This is a procedure that is completed by a dental or oral surgeon, and it usually doesn’t take very long.
The average wisdom tooth removal surgery can take anywhere between a couple of minutes and 20 minutes.
If you have more than one impacted wisdom tooth, then the surgery will likely take longer.
Wisdom tooth removal is a routine procedure, and it is one that many Americans will go through in their lifetime.
Yet, it is one that causes great anxiety, and a lot of this is due to rumours that wisdom tooth removal will change the shape of your face.
So, let’s take a look at whether, or not, this rumour is true. No, they aren’t.
A lot of people worry that wisdom tooth removal will alter the shape of the jaw or cheeks, depending on where the impacted wisdom tooth was, but this doesn’t happen.
Of course, immediately after surgery, it is normal to experience swelling in the area where the wisdom tooth was as the skin and soft tissue around the wisdom tooth adjust to it no longer being there.
But, this swelling is just temporary, and in the long run your facial shape will not change.
When the wisdom tooth is removed, the fat pads, muscle and skin where the wisdom tooth once was are not removed, and this is why your facial shape won’t change.
So why do people think that wisdom tooth removal changes your face?
Why Do People Think That Wisdom Teeth Removal Changes Face Shape?
A lot of people worry that wisdom tooth removal will alter the shape of your face because your wisdom teeth are always there.
Even if they don’t try to push through into your mouth until your late teens/early twenties, your wisdom teeth will have been in your mouth your entire life.
Hence people worry that removal will alter the shape of the jaw/cheeks.
But as we have said, there are a lot of fatty tissues, muscles and skin around the wisdom teeth, and these will prevent the facial shape from changing after wisdom teeth removal.
However, immediately after surgery, it is normal for this soft tissue to swell, causing temporary changes to the shape of your face.
But, once the operation site has healed, your face will return to normal.
Summary
In short, no, wisdom teeth removal does not change the shape of your face.
At least not in the long run. It is normal for your facial shape to change temporarily after surgery, due to swelling.
But, once this swelling has calmed down, your face will return to its normal shape. Thank you for reading!
He has combined both of these skills to create his first company, Isopharm Limited, which became one of the top learning platforms within the dental industry.
With over 120,000 active users, he has been able to educate others in order to provide better dental care around the world.
With his expertise and work in the field, Andrew has been able to help many dental care professionals succeed in treating their patients.
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