Will wisdom teeth grow back after extraction?
Have you just had a wisdom tooth extracted, or are you about to do it? You may well be asking yourself, can it possibly grow back? It is a rather commonly asked question, and it needs a clear and medically-based answer. The simple answer is no, wisdom teeth do not grow again after a proper removal. However, some details are worth knowing, including isolated incidents of retained tissue to completely different phenomena in the dental world that may actually seem to be regrowth.
Understanding the Myth — Can Wisdom Teeth Actually Grow Back?
One of the most enduring dental beliefs is the wisdom teeth grow back myth. It is probably based on a combination of sources: the overall mystery of these late-forming molars, the presence of some individuals with persistent experience in the area of extraction, and a real lack of understanding of how teeth are formed in the first place.
Biologically, a permanent tooth, once extracted (including wisdom tooth) with its root left intact, is unable to regenerate. In their lifetime, human beings form two types of teeth; primary (baby) teeth and permanent teeth. Wisdom teeth are a permanent set. After the tooth bud has matured and the tooth has been lost or cut, a biological process exists in a human body to produce a complete new one.
When a wisdom tooth is removed, the surgeon does not only remove the crown (the part of the tooth that is visible), but he/she also removes the root structure that holds the tooth in place in the jaw. Regrowth cannot occur in the absence of root tissue or an active tooth bud. The socket left behind gets filled with a blood clot, then granulation tissue and finally with a new bone, so there is no viable starting material of a new tooth.
Why Some People Think Their Wisdom Teeth Are Returning
Despite being aware of the science, some of the post-extraction experiences may be somewhat like a tooth coming back. One of the greatest guilty parties is post-surgical swelling – as the jaw mends, inflammation may form a bulging, hard bump in the gum that is like something pushing through. This is usually solved in less than a week or two.
The delayed eruption of the adjacent teeth is also another source of confusion. In other patients, the second molar (which is just before the wisdom tooth) can have been a little affected or congested by the presence of the wisdom tooth. Once a second molar has been removed, the second molar may shift or partially erupt more completely forming the illusion of new tooth movement in the region.
The most clinically significant reason may be residual tooth fragments. A minute bit of root or tooth material may be accidentally left behind during surgery especially in complex impacted extractions, that bit of fragment may push against gum tissue, give localised soreness, or be the source of infection. Normal healing pain, including tingling, pain of new bone formation, or the sensation of something hard beneath the gum (which in most cases is the new bone itself) are also common tricks to deceive the patient into thinking regrowth is taking place.
Regrowth of Impacted Wisdom Teeth — Rare but Possible
Although regrowth process of a tooth that was fully extracted biologically is impossible, in some extremely rare cases, there are some documented cases where dental tissue that remained could grow further. When a scrap of the root of a tooth, pulp, or surrounding periodontal ligament remain after an incomplete extraction then that tissue can sometimes proceed to become problematic – such as simulating the feel of a growing tooth.
Rarely in the dental literature have we not read of partial tooth structures forming in the residual fragments of the root especially in younger types of patients whose jaw and dental tissue are more biologically active. These are medical exceptions, and not the norms. Symptoms associated with the possibility of something abnormal occurring are continued hardness in the socket beyond six weeks, pain, tissue appearance, or development of a new lump below the gum. Any of them justify a visit to the dentist immediately.
When Follow-Up X-Rays Are Important
Another factor that has been overlooked with regard to wisdom tooth care is the use of post-extraction imaging. Wisdom teeth follow-up X-ray usually a periapical or panoramic view enables your dentist or oral surgeon to ensure that the whole tooth along with all the root architecture has been extracted. This is necessary especially when dealing with affected wisdom teeth, curved or fused roots, or other extremely deep extractions.
Left over root fragments that might not produce immediate symptoms can be seen through X-rays and can be infected, cause cysts, or be a source of chronic pain in the long run. They also assist in tracking of the neighbouring teeth to be sure that they have not moved or been destabilised due to the extraction. In case you had a complicated procedure doing wisdom teeth removal, and you were not provided with a follow-up imaging appointment, you may request it especially when you have some continuing discomfort beyond the expected healing period.
Wisdom Teeth Extraction Complications
The vast majority of wisdom tooth extraction is painless, and only a small part of patients develops problems that may extend the suffering and cause misunderstandings regarding what is occurring in the mouth. Dry socket (alveolar osteitis) is a condition that develops when the clot of blood which is generated in the extraction socket becomes dislodged or is dissolved prematurely and leaves the underlying bone exposed. It brings about a sharp, spreading pain which usually starts two to four days after surgery and is among the most frequent causes which makes the patient think that something is wrong on the healing place.
Another possible complication is infection which manifest as the development of pain, swelling, fever, or bad taste in the mouth. Jaws stiffness (trismus) and gums irritation are also frequent during the weeks that follow the surgery and especially where lower wisdom teeth are removed and the jaw muscles are very much involved. This pain, pressure, and swelling, as well as an overall sense of something occurring in the gum can, understandably, be confused with tooth regrowth since patients who do not know how normal post-surgery healing should progress in their patients.
Do Wisdom Teeth Ever Grow Back Fully?
Medically, there is no chance of full regrowth of a wisdom tooth after a successful extraction. Humans lack the genetic code to regenerate teeth in a continuous fashion, as do some other animals – the most known being the shark. We have our tooth buds only once, in certain periods of our childhood and of our adolescence, and when these buds have once broken or been pulled off, the biological work is done.
The difference that should be made is between the partial tissue complications (real and manageable) and the total tooth regeneration (which is not possible in a human being). When pictorial evidence shows an apparently new tooth-like tissue in an extraction site, the clinical reason is almost inevitably an old fragment, a supernumerary tooth that was already developing on its own, or a cyst or bone growth – never a regeneration of the tooth that was extracted.
Extra Teeth Appearing After Extraction
An eruption of a supernumerary tooth One phenomenon, which truly can lead to the development of a new tooth in the wisdom tooth region, is the eruption of a supernumerary tooth, an additional tooth that develops because of a genetic variation in the development of the tooth buds. The extraction does not produce supernumerary teeth, they were already developing in the jaw tissue and will only manifest themselves after the wisdom tooth has been extracted and the area is further monitored more closely through imaging.
Such additional molars may influence the alignment of the jaw, overcrowd other teeth, and need their treatment plan. In case imaging confirms the presence of a supernumerary tooth your dentist may discuss the possibilities of monitoring, extraction or referring to an orthodontist based on its location and the effects it has on the neighbouring structures. Although this is an extremely rare occurrence, it is a actual situation that may justify why some patients complain of new teeth forming in the field where an extraction has been performed.
Phantom Pain After Wisdom Tooth Removal
Not all the nervous system instantaneously recognizes the loss of a tooth. Phantom dental pain is a recorded phenomenon, caused by the sensitisation of nerves, and the tricky mechanism of projecting sensation in the mouth. The trigeminal nerve supplying the teeth and jaw with sensation is able to persist in transmitting messages to the brain even when the tooth to which it was connected is extracted.
Even after a successful extraction, patients can report tingling, pain, soreness, pressure, or sensitivity of the gum and jaw tissue in a few weeks or even months. The remodelling process of the bone that is being healed can also cause the sensation of pressure that is highly similar to a tooth piercing the gum. These phantom feelings are not worrisome and they generally disappear as the healing process continues, however, in others they may take a long time to fade and may need a check-up to eliminate any physical reason.
Wisdom Teeth Recovery Timeline
Becoming familiar with the normal recovery curve can make it easier to be realistic in expectations and it is also easier to know when something is actually abnormal. During the initial 24 to 48 hours following an operation, swelling and bleeding is normal. A clot of blood will be formed in the socket, and this is a serious aspect of the healing process, which must not be put about. During this period, pain is normally treated using either prescription or over-the-counter painkillers.
The peak of swelling is usually experienced on days three to five and is slowly relieved. In case stitches were applied, then they are normally removed or disintegrated automatically within a time period of seven to ten days. At the end of the second week, the majority of patients get significantly improved. The socket does not achieve full bone healing in several months, and the intermittent sensations in the area are mild. The dental professional should always evaluate the pain or swelling that only gets worse after the first week as opposed to improving.
When You Should See Your Dentist Again
In case you experience continuous or progressive pain after the first week, worsening of the pain, swelling, fever, and inability to open the jaw, which does not improve, a foul taste or smell of the socket, or the formation of a hard lump in the gum tissue, you should see your dentist or oral surgeon as soon as possible.
Most of the experiences after the extraction process are normal healing processes, but the particular symptoms mentioned may signal the presence of complications such as infection, dry socket, or remaining root fragments.
Follow up appointment is another thing that would be recommended in case you find what really feels like a tooth pushing through the gum a few weeks or months after the surgery. Although the diagnosis is hardly ever something to panic about, it is always good to make sure that imaging is done to guarantee complete peace of mind and adequate further treatment.
Bottom Line
One of the most common operations in the field of dentistry in Australia is wisdom tooth removal which, when done by a professional team together with appropriate post-surgery guidance, is also the simplest. It is much easier to know what to expect, and what to be aware of, and the process becomes much less daunting.
In case you are in Melbourne and are worried about your wisdom teeth, be it you are thinking of extracting them, or just after undergoing a surgery, or simply with some unexplainable feeling after your last operation, the people at Wisdom Teeth Extraction Melbourne are ready to give you some advice.
Having years of specialty experience on dealing with the simple types of eruptions to the complicated ones that have been affected, they offer well-rounded care extending to the deep level of pre-operative imaging, the skilled method of surgery to remove the problem entirely and the after-care provided to follow-up your recovery. Have something to ask? Don’t put it off any longer, book a consultation now with our dentist in Melbourne and receive advice on your smile that the experts know better.