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By Yoon Ja-young
Wisdom teeth have been regarded as useless, if not bothersome, as people generally think they only cause cavities and pain. According to dentists, however, the tooth can work as good substitute for a dental implant usually made of titanium.
The wisdom tooth usually appears at around 20
years of age. It is called “Sarangni,” or love tooth in Korea, meaning that the
tooth appears when people are around the age to know about love. They are often
angled forward, causing pain. According to a research by Noreen von
Cramon-Taubadel, an anthropologist at the University of Kent in England, it has
to do with evolution. Our ancestors used to have longer jawbones as they ate raw
and unprocessed, hard items. As people came to have cooked and softer food,
however, our jawbones became shorter, not enough to accommodate the many teeth
we previously needed.
Wisdom teeth are usually taken out, over concerns
about cavities or gum disease, especially when the tooth is angled. In an era
where many people lose teeth due to sweets, however, these wisdom teeth can be
useful, according to research by Prof. Kook Yoon-ah at Seoul St. Mary’s
Hospital, Prof. Lee Won at Uijeongbu St. Mary’s Hospital, Prof. Kim Seong-hun at
Kyunghee University and Prof. Chung Kyu-rhim at Ajou University.
Currently, dental implants made of titanium are the most common treatment for missing teeth, but by using their own wisdom tooth, patients can expect a better prognosis while lowering the cost — to about one third of the dental implant. The research team showed that even angled wisdom teeth can be used to replace the molar.
For patients whose first molar is missing, they
moved the second molar into the space, and the third molar, or wisdom tooth,
into the space of the second molar. When they examined 1,179 patients who
visited hospitals from 2010 to 2012, 66 had wisdom teeth that could be used as
substitutes. Among them, 36 got successful treatment.
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| The left photo shows the first molar of a patient is missing. In
the right photo, the second molar and the wisdom tooth were used to fill in for
the missing first molar, instead of using implant. / Courtesy of Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital |
Currently, dental implants made of titanium are the most common treatment for missing teeth, but by using their own wisdom tooth, patients can expect a better prognosis while lowering the cost — to about one third of the dental implant. The research team showed that even angled wisdom teeth can be used to replace the molar.
“Patients who have the first molar missing have
the risk of losing the second molar as well as the second tooth can tilt into
the empty space. Hence, it is recommended that you visit a dental clinic soon in
order to keep the remaining teeth healthy,” Prof. Kook said. “The method using
wisdom teeth is more effective in treatment while the cost is lower, as you use
your own tooth,” he added.
The research was published in the February edition
of the Journal of Clinical Orthodontics.
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