Can Wisdom Teeth Grow Back?

It’s perhaps more common a question that one might ask, “can wisdom teeth grow back”. Many people pluck a hair and then get frustrated as it must be re-plucked week after week and with this kind of subconscious training there can be great trepidation when, after a wisdom teeth extraction surgery, it becomes apparent something else is happening in that socket where a tooth was once removed. There are actually multiple scenarios that follow the experience of wisdom tooth surgery and it’s good to know that, in short, there is no occurrence where a wisdom tooth can grow back. Still, it’s more comforting to find clarity in whatever is going on back there. First it’s important to understand what happens when wisdom teeth grow in, are extracted and why they can’t grow back.

 

What Are Wisdom Teeth?

 

“Wisdom teeth” is really just a nickname for the last set or third set of molars that grow into the average adult jaw. It has been decided that wisdom teeth, as a general rule, are unnecessary and therefore leave nothing wanting when removed. This is due to the fact that the primitive human ate a diet much tougher and more fibrous than the modern diet; as humanity evolved, the jaw got smaller and the brain got bigger. The modern human has no need for the third molar, yet they still grow into the majority of adults’ jaws because of the lingering genetics. About 30% of the population doesn’t have any wisdom teeth.

 

Wisdom Tooth Extraction

 

When wisdom teeth extraction occurs, it is a fairly straightforward procedure. When the dentist diagnoses that wisdom teeth are ready to be extracted, which is much more simple a procedure before they are fully grown and impacted into the jaw, he will recommend an oral surgeon for the procedure.

 

The oral surgeon will discuss the procedure and all available options before the appointment is made for the procedure. When the procedure begins, the local area will be numbed and sedative may be given, depending upon the patient’s desires. Then an incision is made in the gums to create a hole through which a small piece of bone is removed from the jaw. With the tooth visible, it is normally cut into small pieces and removed through the hole made available.

 

After the gum has been stitched up, the patient is sent home. If the instructions for after-surgery care are heeded, the socket and gum should heal quickly. Occasionally, there are complications like dry socket (where the blood clot in the socket is dislodged and a dry sort of infection occurs) or paresthesia (a permanent sort of numbness).

 

Surfacing Bone After Extraction

 

Recovery after extraction depends upon the invasiveness of the procedure, which varies depending upon how severe the impaction was, or any difficulties after the procedure. There are a couple of things that might occur after wisdom tooth extraction that could be confused for resurfacing wisdom teeth.