Wisdom teeth, also called ‘third molars’ or ‘teeth of wisdom’, are the third molars. On each side of the upper and lower jaw they are located behind the two incisors, canines, two premolars, and two molars, meaning they are in the eighth position, which is why they are commonly called ‘eights’.

Wisdom teeth moved the upper canine outside the dental arch and completely disrupted the left lower side. The patient had properly aligned teeth until the age of 19, when the wisdom teeth started erupting but did not have enough space to fit, causing everything to shift.

They usually erupt during the twenties, which is why they are called teeth of wisdom. There should be four of them in total. Through human evolution, the jaw has become smaller while teeth have remained approximately the same size. Because of this, in most cases wisdom teeth become impacted in the bone or do not fully erupt and therefore push the teeth in front of them, if those teeth are present at all, as some people naturally do not have wisdom teeth.

When they do not have enough space to erupt, they strongly push the teeth in front of them, causing changes in the position of the front teeth. The back teeth often suffer because the pressure from the wisdom teeth creates excessive contact with neighbouring teeth. For these reasons, we often see very healthy teeth that suddenly changed position, while the back teeth in front of the wisdom teeth are no longer in the correct dental arch and the first and second molars can become damaged because they suddenly need to be devitalized or may fracture. This is a common clinical picture of strong pressure from wisdom teeth. Due to newly created compression, some patients may need orthodontic treatment again.

At Dental Estetic Studio, decisions are often made regarding whether wisdom teeth should be preserved or extracted. In orthodontic patients, after a detailed examination and panoramic X-ray analysis, orthodontist Professor Meštrović, in cooperation with Dr. Knego, decides in most cases that wisdom teeth should be removed.

Most patients experience problems with wisdom teeth in the form of difficult eruption, impacted and semi-impacted wisdom teeth, and cavities that develop due to difficult access and cleaning, which is why wisdom teeth are also described as ‘places where harmful bacteria accumulate’.

Difficult eruption can also frequently cause pain in that area, accompanied by redness, swelling, and in more severe cases limited mouth opening with pain radiating toward the ear. Swollen lymph nodes and elevated body temperature can also occur. In such cases, treatment may include rinsing the space between the tooth and the pocket formed by the gum tissue partially covering the tooth, using antiseptic solutions, or removing the excess gum tissue around the tooth crown. Antibiotics are often prescribed in more severe cases. With repeated inflammation, the tooth is ultimately extracted.

At Dental Estetic Studio, after Dr. Knego makes the final decision regarding whether a wisdom tooth should be removed or preserved, the further treatment plan is determined. Patients who need wisdom tooth extraction, whether the teeth have already erupted or are impacted in the bone, are referred to our oral surgery specialist, Dr. Ivasović, who removes wisdom teeth easily and efficiently.

If the wisdom tooth is completely or partially impacted, a procedure called alveotomy is performed, which is a routine procedure at Dental Estetic Studio. If the wisdom tooth has fully erupted and has not been destroyed by decay, a standard extraction is usually performed. Upper wisdom teeth are most often simple to remove, while lower wisdom teeth, due to their position and size, often require a CT scan in addition to a panoramic X-ray before extraction to determine whether they are close to the mandibular canal.

During the actual wisdom tooth extraction procedure, the patient does not feel any pain. One or two days after extraction, pain and possible swelling in the area may occur, as well as slightly limited mouth opening. With pain medication and cooling of the wound, pain and swelling quickly subside. It is important that the patient follows the instructions and does not rinse the wound, in order to avoid removing the blood clot that is essential for proper wound healing. Hot food and drinks should be avoided because they can dissolve the clot.

In any case, we always advise our patients that, as in Dental Estetic Studio, wisdom tooth extraction, especially of impacted wisdom teeth, should be performed by an oral surgeon specialist for whom this is a simple and everyday procedure, so the patient will not experience unnecessary discomfort or difficulty during the treatment.