Your Paw-some Question | How are wisdom teeth removed?

What happens if you need your third molars removed? Cosmo and I find out, after talking to our friend David Carsten. He's a dentist anesthesiologist who studied at Washington State University and now teaches at Oregon Health and Science University.

Find out the real tooth here.

Resources you can use:

• Find out what it's like to be a dentist, a dental hygienist or a dental assistant, thanks to Teeth Talk Girl
• Learn more about early humans' big jaws with Ted-Ed
• Get the official word on wisdom teeth from the American Dental Association

Sound effects courtesy Zapsplat and Pixabay

 As always, submit burning questions at askdruniverse.wsu.edu.  Who knows where your questions will take us next.

Transcript

Hey, Dr. Universe, what's a dentist's favorite dinosaur? 

I'm not sure. 

A flossi-raptor. 

Hey, friends, I'm Dr. Universe. 

And I'm Cosmo. 

And if you're anything like us, you've got lots of big questions about our world. Today we're talking about a question sent in by a kid just like you. Let's get started. 

Lucy, 9, from Rhode Island, wants to know what happens when you get your wisdom teeth removed. 

Cats like us don't have wisdom teeth, Cosmo. So I was surprised to learn that some humans get extra chompers. 

Maybe more teeth means they could take bigger bites. 

Well, not really, according to my friend David Carsten. He's a dentist who teaches about dental surgery and anesthesia. 

Apparently humans can get three sets of permanent molars. Molars are the big grinding teeth in the back of your mouth. The third set are also called wisdom teeth. They usually come in when you're between 17 and 21 years old. If you get them at all. But wisdom teeth cause more issues than other molars. 

That doesn't sound good. What's their problem? 

It's hard to keep wisdom teeth clean and healthy, because they're way in the back of your mouth and difficult to reach with a toothbrush and floss. Plus, many people don't have room in their jaw for third molars. 

That's weird. 

It's possible that earlier humans had bigger jaws. They didn't eat processed food, so they probably had to chew lots more, and all that chewing would have made their jaws bigger. 

Now many people get their wisdom teeth removed. Some wisdom teeth fully erupt, so they totally stick out of the gums like a regular tooth. But more than 90% of people who get third molars have at least one impacted wisdom tooth. It's stuck under the gums or under the bone. Sometimes an impacted wisdom tooth can be tipped or completely sideways. 

Uh oh. 

Yeah. That's why the dentist will take an x ray to see the tooth's position and how close it is to the nerve that comes down from your brain and runs along your jaw. They'll use that information, plus how nervous you are to figure out if you need to see a dentist or a dental surgeon. 

They'll figure out what you need to feel comfortable while you're getting your wisdom teeth out. That could be numbing medicine called local anesthetic. It could be medicine to relax you like laughing gas, which is also called nitrous oxide. It could be medicine through a small needle called an IV that can make you go to sleep or make you unaware of what's happening. 

Okay, so the dentist would make me feel comfortable and not scared. 

Yes, it's super important to your dentist and all your grown ups that you're feeling okay. If the wisdom tooth is fully erupted, the dentist will wiggle it until it slides out. If it's impacted, it's removed by surgery. 

And that wouldn't hurt because I can't feel it, right? 

While you're numb and can't feel it, the dentist would make a small cut in the gums. They sometimes trim the tooth or bone a little bit. That helps them grip the tooth, especially if it's a bit sideways. Then they wiggle it and loosen it until it's ready to slip out. 

Once the wisdom tooth is out, the dentist will sand any sharp edges and clean it. They might put some medicine or material inside. They may use dissolvable or silk stitches to close it up. 

Wow. It's amazing it'll just heal up good as new. 

Maybe better than new, because you won't have to worry about those pesky wisdom teeth getting sick and harshing your mellow. 

That's all for this episode, friends. 

Big thanks to David Carsten, a dentist anesthesiologist who did his undergrad at Washington State University and now teaches at Oregon Health and Science University. 

As always, if you've got a science question for me, you can submit it at askdruniverse.wsu.edu. That's A-S-K-D-R-U-N-I-V-E-R-S-E dot W-S-U dot E-D-U. 

Who knows where your questions will take us next?