I have an impacted wisdom tooth. I keep getting food caught in it. I want to get it removed, but when my dentist did an x-ray he said it is touching a nerve. Is is still okay for me to have this removed?
Lisa
Dear Lisa,
I’m glad you wrote. Did your dentist mention a CT scan? This would be important in that case, allowing your dentist to have a 3-Dimensional image so he can know the exact placement of everything.
An experienced oral surgeon can do this without severing the nerve. There is never a guarantee there won’t be some damage, even in the ideal cases. Your surgeon can give you a percentage of the risk after he sees the scan results. They won’t underestimate the risk, so you can feel pretty confident with what they say.
The key will be to not put pressure on the nerve as he is removing the tooth.
It will be important to get this wisdom tooth extracted if at all possible. If it is trapping food, you are at a greater risk for bacteria thriving leading to decay. It’s possible you could end up with a dental emergency.
Then you won’t have as much choice as to who removes the infected tooth. Even today, people still die from tooth infections. The reason for that is people underestimate how quickly these infections can spread.
Add to that how close your jaw is to your heart and brain, you can see how these can turn life threatening rapidly.
This blog is brought to you by Auburn, AL Dentist Dr. Raymond Bolt.