Word: teethe
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Dates: during 1960-1969
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When a tooth growing out from its bud in the jawbone gets trapped-either in the bone itself or between other teeth-dentists say that it is "impacted." The problem occurs most often with the four so-called wisdom teeth, or third molars, which generally erupt around the end of adolescence. And the catalogue of troubles that have been traced to impacted wisdom teeth is virtually endless. At one time or another, New York University's Dr. Irving Salman told the Greater New York Dental Meeting last week, they have been accused of causing everything from facial deformity...
...case, said Oral-Surgeon Salman, third molars are so often troublesome* that some dental authorities believe they should be removed routinely as a preventive measure. One school even proposes extraction before the teeth are fully formed, on the ground that a growing third molar may press against a second molar's roots hard enough to cause damage. Dr. Salman prefers to leave wisdom teeth in place until the facial bones are fully grown, usually between the ages of 16 and 18. Lower third molars, he said, even though they seem to be pushing through at an angle, have...
...growing third molar is shown by X rays to be damaging a second tooth, Dr. Salman's prescription is extraction. When teeth are impacted only in bone, Dr. Salman suggests, they can be left in place, provided X rays are taken twice a year to check on their behavior. One reason for Dr. Salman's conservatism regarding bony impactions is that removal of deeply embedded teeth sometimes has a distressing sequel: the patient's jaw feels numb for days, weeks or months...
After the wisdoms, the teeth most likely to become impacted are the canines, which may be trapped between the incisors and the bicuspids (the double-pointed teeth immediately behind them). The canines are so important to both the shape and function of the jaws that the dental surgeon should do his utmost to help them achieve their normal position. Only if that is impossible should canines be extracted. Even when an impacted tooth is clearly infected, there is still disagreement as to when it ought to come out. Should the dentist wait for the infection to be healed by antibiotics...
...course of evolution, the human jaw has become progressively smaller, leaving insufficient room for the full complement of third molars, which the great apes still grow. From 27% to 30% of people lack buds for one or more wisdom teeth...