| Who is an oral surgeon? |
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An oral surgeon is a dental specialist who specializes in surgery of the oral and facial region. An oral surgeon extracts teeth, performs surgeries involving the jawbones, etc. |
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| Why are teeth extracted? |
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Teeth may need to be removed for a variety of reasons like:
i. Very large cavity/ caries that cannot be restored with cements.
ii. Periodontal diseases or in simple words diseases of the gums.
iii. Fractured or broken teeth
iv. Teeth that are traumatized leading to infection and inflammation of the pulp.
v. Teeth that fail to erupt or are unable to erupt into the mouth and are deep inside the bone. They are called impacted teeth and may have to be removed.
vi. Teeth that are abnormal in development i.e., structure, shape, size, etc.
vii. Teeth that are involved in cysts or tumors.
viii. Ectopic teeth that have erupted in a wrong place.
ix. Sometimes the orthodontist may remove some teeth to correct crooked teeth. |
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| Why is the wisdom tooth removed so often? |
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The wisdom teeth are the third molars, which are the last teeth in the dental arch. The teeth usually erupt between 18 and 25 years of age. In many individuals, the wisdom teeth remain in the bone, as they may not have adequate space in the dental arch to emerge out. This condition is called impaction. In addition the third molar may erupt in abnormal inclination thus affecting the health of the adjacent teeth. So the wisdom teeth need to be removed often. |
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