Dental Care | Health Articles | Surgical Removal of Wisdom Teeth

Third molars are commonly referred to as wisdom teeth. The wisdom teeth are located in the back of the mouth, one in each quadrant, behind the second or 12-year molars.

Although most people develop 32 permanent teeth, quite often the jaws are not large enough to accommodate the four wisdom teeth. When inadequate space prevents the teeth from erupting into the proper position, they are impacted. An impacted tooth remains embedded in soft gingiva (gum) tissue or bone beyond its normal eruption time. Because they are the last teeth to emerge, the most common teeth to become impacted are the wisdom teeth, which normally emerge between the ages of 17 and 21.

Problems that can develop from partially impacted teeth include pain, infection, crowding, and damage to adjacent teeth. More serious problems, such as damage to the jawbone caused by the formation of cysts, can occur with completely impacted teeth. As the wisdom teeth develop, the roots continue to grow longer and the jawbone becomes denser. So as you get older, it becomes more difficult to remove your teeth and complications are more likely. In addition, the problems associated with impacted teeth tend to occur with increasing frequency after the age of 30.

To prevent this from occurring, it is usually recommended to have wisdom teeth removed during the teenage years or early twenties before the root structure is fully developed. Although in some cases it is recommended that they are removed as early as 11 or 12 years of age.

Dr. Reubel has developed a quality of care which gives every patient, whatever their needs, a tremendous advantage in making a complete and rapid recovery; saving time and money on Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Services.

In our practice we use a different, proven successful drilling system and smaller, less invasive instruments for tooth extraction than other surgeons in the greater Cincinnati area. Dr. Reubel believes this is the reason he rarely see dry sockets.

If your dentist has recently taken x-rays which show all of the teeth in question, please bring them with you to your appointment. Please bring a list of all medications you are currently taking with you to your first appointment. Dr. Reubel is Ivy League educated. He holds a BS in Electrical Engineering and a DMD, both from the University of Pennsylvania. He has been in private practice since 1983 in the Cincinnati Ohio area. He has been chairman of Oral surgeon Ohio and maxillofacial surgeon Ohio/Dentistry at Good Samaritan Hospital since 1990.

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