MORBIDITY OF THE UPPER WISDOM TOOTH

The upper wisdom tooth, as a result of topography, phylogeny and ontogeny is, directly or indirectly, the main cause of numerous diseases of the oral cavity, the maxillary or the cervico-facial region. It can lead to serious disturbances in the harmony of the dento-maxillary and general health, being the starting point for a lot of complications. It influences the diagnosis and treatment of all dental specialties and constitutes the focal point in oro-dental surgery. While as recently as 100 years ago the removal of wisdom teeth was an operation which was carried out very infrequently, and only with severe complications, it is now considered a routine procedure, but with a relatively high complication rate, which increases among older patients. The most common complications are: disturbances of sensation, residual root tips, infections of sockets and fractures of the jaw. The complication rate can be considerably reduced by early removal of wisdom teeth.