Caries on wisdom tooth

Introduction – What is caries of the wisdom tooth?

In adolescence, caries is the main cause of tooth loss. Caries is a disease of the hard tooth substance, which is caused by the interaction of several factors (mainly bacterial plaque, food residues and poor oral hygiene). The position of the wisdom teeth as the last in the row of teeth makes cleaning more difficult, so that caries on the wisdom teeth occurs frequently and is unfortunately noticed only late.

Causes of caries of the wisdom tooth

In general, all teeth in the mouth can be affected by caries. If the tooth surface is not cleared of food residues and plaque, acids are formed due to the metabolism of carbohydrates by the bacteria on the tooth surface. These dissolve the crystals from the superficial enamel (demineralization).

Normally, the components of the saliva cause the pH value to rise and the acid attack is interrupted. The dissolved enamel particles are reintegrated into the tooth substance (remineralization). Fluoride-containing dental care products support remineralization and harden the enamel.

When the balance between demineralization and remineralization shifts to demineralization due to reduced salivary flow and inadequate oral hygiene, so much tooth structure is loosened that a lesion (colloquially a hole) is formed. This lesion continues to spread to the inside of the tooth without treatment until it reaches the pulp after the dentin and root inflammation occurs. The wisdom teeth break through as the last teeth at the end of the row of teeth.

This area is often overlooked or not reached when brushing the teeth, so that caries on the wisdom teeth develops unnoticed. Moreover, in many cases the wisdom teeth do not erupt completely due to lack of space. This makes oral hygiene even more difficult.

  • What causes caries?
  • How does caries develop?
  • Caries through breastfeeding

How is caries of the wisdom tooth diagnosed?

The dentist makes the diagnosis after the inspection with a mirror and probe. In order to be able to estimate the extent of the carious lesion, an X-ray is usually taken. There, the dissolved hard tooth substance can be recognized as dark spots (translucency). During the dental examination, a sensitivity test and knock test (percussion) can be used to determine whether the nerve in the tooth pulp is already inflamed.