Flourish Health & Wellbeing eMagazine - Jan21 - Flipbook - Page 7
Do wisdom teeth cause
crooked teeth?
When wisdom teeth push into the mouth,
they can cause feelings of pressure.
Sometimes people worry that the wisdom
teeth may cause their other teeth to become
crooked. Currently, there is no evidence that
supports this theory.
Tips for cleaning
When wisdom teeth are pushing through the
gums and into the mouth, it is important to
keep the area clean. Not cleaning the
bacteria away can cause the gums
surrounding the wisdom teeth that are only
partially present in the mouth to become
inflamed. This is called pericoronitis.
Ensure your toothbrush reaches all the way
back to the wisdom teeth. Sometimes the
space in this area is limited. Using a
toothbrush with a small brush head can
help. Keeping your mouth closed while
brushing can give you more space to reach
around the cheek sides of the wisdom teeth
when brushing.
If you are finding it difficult to brush or there
is pain from severely inflamed gums, using
an antibacterial mouthwash can help you to
care for the wisdom teeth and surrounding
gums. But this should not be a long term
replacement for brushing.
