Tag: dentist

Should I Have My Wisdom Teeth Extracted?

Should I Have My Wisdom Teeth Extracted?

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By Stacey Long
West Paces Ferry Orthodontics Clinical Manager

What are Wisdom Teeth?

Between the ages of 16 and 23, a young adult’s wisdom teeth begin to erupt behind their back molars. Some people only have one or two wisdom teeth emerge while others have all four wisdom teeth erupt. Wisdom teeth are extracted for a variety of reasons, such as impaction, infection, and overcrowding of teeth. In some cases, they do not need to be extracted but are removed by people who do not want to worry about future problems with their wisdom teeth.

Why Wisdom Teeth Should Be Extracted

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In addition to impaction (a condition in which wisdom teeth cannot erupt because they are lying sideways in the gums), good reasons for having wisdom teeth removed include:

 

  • Damage to other teeth by pushing teeth into other teeth’s roots
  • Painful bite problems due to an uneven bite
  • Development of sinus issues, sinus pressure, and chronic congestion
  • Swelling and inflammation of gum tissue around wisdom teeth (swollen gums encourage cavities by forming pockets around teeth that attract bacteria)

If your wisdom teeth are causing pain or are negatively affecting your oral and general health, you should consider having them extracted.

Not All Wisdom Teeth Need To be Extracted

Why would a large percentage of people decide to have their wisdom teeth extracted? One reason involves the perception that all wisdom teeth need to be extracted eventually anyway. Some dentists encourage extraction of wisdom teeth by telling patients they would not have to deal with possible future problems with their wisdom teeth if they just had them removed.

Extraction of wisdom teeth is not without the risk of complications, however. If you have more than two wisdom teeth extracted, you will most likely be sedated during the procedure. General anesthesia makes some people sick to their stomach when they wake up. Also, you could suffer bleeding issues, post-extraction infections and a painful condition called “dry socket.” This happens when blood clots fail to form correctly in a wisdom tooth’s empty socket.

Should You Have Your Wisdom Teeth Extracted?

Man with a toothache. Pain in the human bodyAlthough wisdom teeth are all-too-routinely removed, deciding whether extraction of wisdom teeth is necessary should involve a trip to your dentist for a complete examination of your wisdom teeth and an informed discussion with your dentist. You should also be aware that certain wisdom teeth myths may influence your decision in the wrong way. Some of the myths include:

  • It is easier on you physically if you have wisdom teeth removed as a young adult. Wrong & Right. You can experience the same complications as a teenager or young adult as you could as an older adult.  That said, the bone around wisdom teeth gets denser as we age making the process more uncomfortable as we get older
  • Leaving wisdom teeth in will force your front teeth to shift and become crooked. Wrong. As experts in orthodontics, we know that wisdom teeth do not crowd teeth, and should not affect the position of your other teeth at all.  They can damage other teeth, but only those teeth they are directly in contact with while growing in
  • Wisdom teeth increase the risk of oral disease. Wrong. Just because wisdom teeth are in the back of your mouth does not mean you cannot reach them with your toothbrush. If the wisdom tooth has partially broken through the gums but still remains partially covered this can be a cause for concern.  Making sure you see your dentist every six months for a professional cleaning will also reduce your risk of cavities and gingivitis.

Have you had your wisdom teeth extracted? Have you chosen to keep your wisdom teeth? We are interested in hearing your stories about the pros, cons, and in-betweens of wisdom tooth extraction.  Share in the comments!

Orthodontic Treatments For Sleep Apnea

Orthodontic Treatments For Sleep Apnea

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By: Kenny Hackett

When breathing is periodically blocked during sleep you may be suffering from a common condition called obstructive sleep apnea; several conditions may be causing the airway to narrow enough to restrict airflow during sleep. West Paces Ferry Orthodontics specializes in sleep apnea orthodontics, a unique field of dentistry that treats sleep apnea. With custom-fitted dental appliances, your Atlanta orthodontists Dr. Kristin Huber & Dr. Paul Yurfest, prevent soft throat tissues from falling back into your throat and interrupting breathing during sleep.

What is Sleep Apnea?

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) interrupts normal breathing patterns when airways obstruct airflow during sleep. OSA occurs when your anterior throat tissues relax so much they collapse into the airway soon after you fall asleep. Other possible causes of sleep apnea include having larger than normal tonsils, a large tongue, abnormally narrow airways or being overweight.

Man suffering from sleep apnea
Man sleeping with CPAC mask

When you are overweight, excess tissues may thicken your windpipe wall and restrict breathing. Cognitive issues associated with aging may also contribute
to the development of obstructive sleep apnea when your brain’s ability to process sleep signals decreases and your throat muscles do not remain stiff enough during sleep.

Finally, obstructive sleep apnea is often caused by your lower jaw being shorter than your upper jaw (retrognathia). Orthodontists will also measure tonsil and adenoid size to determine whether they may be contributing to airway blockage.

Symptoms of Sleep Apnea

In addition to experiencing unusual daytime fatigue, signs of possible sleep apnea include:

  • Snoring loudly enough that you abruptly awaken yourself throughout the night
  • Difficulty concentrating during the day
  • Feeling depressed and irritable for no reason
  • Having a parched mouth in the morning
  • Gaining weight even though your level of physical activity hasn’t changed (daytime tiredness leads to increased appetite)
  • Having elevated blood pressure when you do not have a previous history of hypertension

How Orthodontists Treat Sleep Apnea

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An Orthodontic Sleep Apnea Appliance.

Your Atlanta orthodontist, Dr. Yurfest & Huber specialize in treating sleep apnea using customized dental appliances that prevent the tongue and/or throat tissues from falling back into the airway and interrupting breathing.

Acrylic dental devices designed by your Atlanta orthodontists can help restore normal positioning of your lower jaw or work as a tongue retention appliance to prevent the tongue from falling over the airway during sleep. By holding your lower jaw in a more forward position, a dental sleep apnea appliance prevents tissue collapse, significantly reduces snoring and improves the flow of air through your airway during sleep.

Health Consequences of Untreated Sleep Apnea

Since sleep apnea causes extremely loud snoring, inhibits breathing and forces you to gasp for air during sleep, untreated sleep apnea will significantly reduce the amount of sleep you get. When you don’t get good enough, sound sleep night after night, severe health problems often develop, such as

Diabetes–daytime fatigue leads to cravings for high sugar, high carb foods that may induce insulin resistance, weight gain, and development of diabetes

Hypertension/Heart problems–sudden decreases in blood oxygen levels due to obstructed airways strain your cardiovascular system, elevate blood pressure and raise the risk of atrial fibrillation or abnormal heart rhythms.

Metabolic syndrome–a constellation of risk factors associated with heart disease, metabolic syndrome includes high cholesterol, high blood glucose levels, high cholesterol and expanding waist circumference.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease–Research shows that people w
ith untreated sleep apnea could present abnormal liver function test results indicating scarring and defective liver cell activity.

If you think you have sleep apnea or wish to get rid of your CPAP mask, call your Atlanta
orthodontists, West Paces Ferry Orthodontics,  today to learn more about the benefits of sleep apnea orthodontics.

PYHUBER
Dr. Kristin L Huber & Dr. Paul Yurfest of West Paces Ferry Orthodontics.
The 411 on the 911 (of teeth)! What to do if you have a tooth emergency?

The 411 on the 911 (of teeth)! What to do if you have a tooth emergency?

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By: Kristin Huber DMD

If a tooth is knocked out or avulsed, you should attempt to put the tooth back in the socket and soon as possible. Every minute counts. A tooth that is replaced within the first 30 minutes has a good prognosis for long-term survival. If the tooth is out of the mouth for over two hours, the chances of keeping that tooth long term is minimal. If the tooth cannot be replaced immediately, it should be placed in a solution of either milk or a balance salt solution that can be purchased from the drugstore. If neither of these solutions is available, the best thing to do is place it in saliva (it can be held in the cheek) until it can be replaced.

 

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Picture courtesy of Todaysdentist.org

If the tooth simply gets knocked out of position, see an orthodontist immediately. The sooner that it can be moved back in position, the better long-term prognosis it will have.   When trauma occurs to the tooth, the nerve/vascular bundle is disturbed. It is also not uncommon for fractures of the surrounding alveolar bone to occur.  As these areas heal, the cells of the tooth and bone can become confused, and ankylosis of the tooth can occur. This makes orthodontic correction impossible.  If orthodontics is immediately initiated, the proper signals are sent to the brain that helps differentiates bone from the tooth, and ankylosis is not as likely to occur.

 

These valuable tips are not widely known, so spread the word and knowing the 411 may help you or a friend save a tooth!