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Question:
Wisdom Teeth Extraction at my Age? Is it standard procedure to remove the wisdom teeth of a 54 year old female, when there is no problem with the actual teeth, ie, fully erupted, no decay, no impaction?
A periodontal exam revealed pockets around the bottom two wisdom teeth with pockets measuring 5mm and 6mm. An X-ray did show some bone loss. It seems so intrusive at my age. ...Visitor from HI
Answer:
You say that there is no problem with your wisdom teeth, yet you have 5-6 mm pockets and bone loss around them.
I would be interested in the pockets behind the teeth in front of your wisdom teeth, along with a full mouth probing of pockets.. Normal pockets around teeth are 1-3 mm. This is a little collar that is between where the gum looks like it attaches to the tooth and where it actually does attach.
Normal toothbrushing can clean 1-3 mm below the gum tissue. Wisdom teeth are far back in your mouth, and, therefore, harder to keep clean. The pockets around the teeth harbor bacteria that cause periodontal disease.
If you have these bacteria in one area of your mouth, they are also throughout your mouth, causing periodontal disease which is a chronic inflamation.
New studies have shown that chronic inflamation that may be caused by periodontal disease can increase C-Reactive Protein levels (CRP). A recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine identified elevated CRP levels as a stronger predictor of heart attacks than elevated cholesterol levels.
So, although your wisdom teeth seem to be causing you no problems, they should be thoroughly evaluated for the sake of your dental and general health. I would recommend that you have a full-mouth probing to see how many other pockets you have, then see an oral surgeon to inform you of the surgical risks of having the wisdom teeth removed versus the risk of chronic inflamation.
It is possible to clean the pockets of the wisdom teeth and treat the other areas of periodontal disease, but if the wisdom teeth are erupted and there are few surgical risks, I would probably have them extracted.
Corinne Scalzitti, DMD, MAGD
Austin Reconstructive Implant Dentistry
3900 RR 620 South
Austin, Texas TX 78738
(512) 263-3330
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