Tooth Sectioning (Hemisection)
In multirooted teeth, the tooth may be divided and the resulting sections treated as separate units.
When one of the tooth's roots cannot be treated, the affected portion may be separated and removed, allowing the remaining part of the tooth to remain functional. Similarly, certain problems occurring at the junction between the roots of multirooted teeth can be addressed by separating the roots and treating each one as an individual tooth.
These procedures are measures used to preserve the natural tooth whenever possible.
Surgical Removal of Impacted Teeth
Impacted teeth may develop cysts around them or threaten the health of adjacent erupted teeth. In such cases, they are surgically removed from the surrounding tissue. Impacted third molars and other impacted teeth are managed in much the same way.
Wisdom Teeth
The third molars, which typically erupt during the period of maturity or adulthood, are known in many languages as “wisdom teeth”. In Turkish, they are also called yirmi yaş dişleri (“twenty-year teeth”), and they most commonly erupt between the ages of 17 and 25.
Today, it is common to see wisdom teeth that are unable to assume a normal position within the dental arch, erupt in a way that causes pressure on adjacent teeth, become malpositioned, or remain impacted within the jawbone.
If a wisdom tooth puts pressure on the other teeth, removing it does not cause the teeth to spontaneously realign. Therefore, when indicated, it is important to remove the tooth at the appropriate time, preferably before it erupts. A malpositioned wisdom tooth can make the area difficult, and sometimes impossible, to keep clean. This may sometimes lead to decay in the adjacent tooth as well as the wisdom tooth itself, which is another reason why timely removal may be necessary.
An impacted wisdom tooth is removed only in certain circumstances. Impacted wisdom teeth detected at a relatively young age are often removed because of the possibility that they may later cause problems such as cysts or infection. At a younger age, the surgical site generally heals completely over time, and the resulting space may eventually be filled entirely with bone.
Although the extraction site following surgery on an impacted tooth in an older patient may initially appear to have filled completely with bone, the level of the surrounding bone may subsequently decrease. The surgical procedure itself, as well as the postoperative difficulties that may occur, should also be taken into account when considering removal of an impacted wisdom tooth that has remained asymptomatic into later adulthood. Therefore, in older adults, impacted wisdom teeth are generally removed only if they cause problems or interfere with planned dental treatment.
In other words, not every impacted wisdom tooth needs to be removed; in some cases, an impacted tooth may remain in place for life. Impacted wisdom teeth that are left in place should be monitored through routine dental examinations to ensure that they do not develop cysts or cause damage to the roots of adjacent teeth.
Impacted teeth are not considered precancerous lesions.
In recent years, the increased recognition of complications associated with dental implants has led to renewed interest in autotransplantation. Although the use of wisdom teeth for this purpose is limited, it should not be overlooked.