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Can The Crown Of A Wisdom Tooth Be Decayed Without Eruption Through Gum?
Question: I'm a 46 year old female and I went to the dentist last week with toothache - it turned out that I had an abcess due to a pocket in my gum on my right back molar . I was treated with antibiotics
While I was at the dentist I had an X-ray. The X-ray showed my wisdom tooth has grown horizontal and has not erupted at all. The crown of the wisdom tooth lays up against the molar which the small pocket abcess was on.
The X-ray also showed decay of the crown of the wisdom tooth crown and a grey area. My dentist has made an emergency referral to see the maxo facial clinic. Firstly how is it possible for the crown of the wisdom tooth to be partly decayed if it's never erupted though the gum ? And second has my dentist made an emergency referral because she thinks the grey area around the crown of the wisdom tooth is Cancer? I have no pain now that the antibiotics have worked .
While I was at the dentist I had an X-ray. The X-ray showed my wisdom tooth has grown horizontal and has not erupted at all. The crown of the wisdom tooth lays up against the molar which the small pocket abcess was on.
The X-ray also showed decay of the crown of the wisdom tooth crown and a grey area. My dentist has made an emergency referral to see the maxo facial clinic. Firstly how is it possible for the crown of the wisdom tooth to be partly decayed if it's never erupted though the gum ? And second has my dentist made an emergency referral because she thinks the grey area around the crown of the wisdom tooth is Cancer? I have no pain now that the antibiotics have worked .
Brief Answer:
Not necessarily cancer, might be a cyst..
Detailed Answer:
Hi..
Welcome to HEALTHCARE MAGIC..
I have gone through your query and can understand your concerns..
As per your complain as you have a horizontally impacted wisdom tooth that is lying along the roots of the molar that has an abscess due to gum pocket..
Even the wisdom tooth did not erupt through the bone but it can get decayed still due to the infection extending from.the gums of the adjacent molar tooth that has an abscess..
So this is not abnormal and can happen..
Another thing is that the grey area around the wisdom tooth is not necessarily cancer and if it is surrounding the crown of the wisdom tooth, it can be a Dentigerous cyst..
Dentigerous cyst can appear as grey area around wisdom tooth and it occurs around crowns of impacted wisdom tooth only..
So chances of Dentigerous cyst are most probable..
You need not to worry and get evaluated by an Oral Surgeon /Maxillofacial Surgeon and can revert back to me with the diagnosis so that I can guide you further..
Most probably the extraction of the wisdom tooth followed by a course of antibiotics and painkillers can help in resolution..
As you do not have pain now, you need not to take any medicine..
You can also send me a scan of the x ray that was done by your dentist so that I can evaluate it and guide you further..
Any further questions are welcome..
Hope this information helps..
Thanks and regards.
Dr.Honey Nandwani Arora.
Not necessarily cancer, might be a cyst..
Detailed Answer:
Hi..
Welcome to HEALTHCARE MAGIC..
I have gone through your query and can understand your concerns..
As per your complain as you have a horizontally impacted wisdom tooth that is lying along the roots of the molar that has an abscess due to gum pocket..
Even the wisdom tooth did not erupt through the bone but it can get decayed still due to the infection extending from.the gums of the adjacent molar tooth that has an abscess..
So this is not abnormal and can happen..
Another thing is that the grey area around the wisdom tooth is not necessarily cancer and if it is surrounding the crown of the wisdom tooth, it can be a Dentigerous cyst..
Dentigerous cyst can appear as grey area around wisdom tooth and it occurs around crowns of impacted wisdom tooth only..
So chances of Dentigerous cyst are most probable..
You need not to worry and get evaluated by an Oral Surgeon /Maxillofacial Surgeon and can revert back to me with the diagnosis so that I can guide you further..
Most probably the extraction of the wisdom tooth followed by a course of antibiotics and painkillers can help in resolution..
As you do not have pain now, you need not to take any medicine..
You can also send me a scan of the x ray that was done by your dentist so that I can evaluate it and guide you further..
Any further questions are welcome..
Hope this information helps..
Thanks and regards.
Dr.Honey Nandwani Arora.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Raju A.T
Hi
I went to my dentist this morning for hygienist appointment and I asked again about the grey area
I was totally wrong with my initial thought that it was above the impacted wisdom tooth. It's actually laying under the molar roots which lays next to the impacted wisdom tooth (the molar which had an abcess in a gum pocket.) it allow lays under where i had a tooth out over ten years ago because of decay and abcess.The grey area extends from the roots of the molar along to my fang tooth
It's irregular in shape
I'm really worried now :(
I went to my dentist this morning for hygienist appointment and I asked again about the grey area
I was totally wrong with my initial thought that it was above the impacted wisdom tooth. It's actually laying under the molar roots which lays next to the impacted wisdom tooth (the molar which had an abcess in a gum pocket.) it allow lays under where i had a tooth out over ten years ago because of decay and abcess.The grey area extends from the roots of the molar along to my fang tooth
It's irregular in shape
I'm really worried now :(
Brief Answer:
Might be a residual cyst,bone cyst needs x ray for evaluation..
Detailed Answer:
Hi..
Welcome Again..
As per your query and the explanation that you have given, irregular radiolucency can be due to bony cyst or a residual cyst, but for exact diagnosis a proper evaluation clinically as well as x ray is needed..
You should send me scan of your x ray as well as consult an Oral Surgeon and get evaluated.
After examining the x ray and the content of the grey area only I can advise you correctly, but I would still say that it does not need to be a cancer..
Please revert back with x ray..
Thanks and regards.
Dr.Honey Nandwani Arora.
Might be a residual cyst,bone cyst needs x ray for evaluation..
Detailed Answer:
Hi..
Welcome Again..
As per your query and the explanation that you have given, irregular radiolucency can be due to bony cyst or a residual cyst, but for exact diagnosis a proper evaluation clinically as well as x ray is needed..
You should send me scan of your x ray as well as consult an Oral Surgeon and get evaluated.
After examining the x ray and the content of the grey area only I can advise you correctly, but I would still say that it does not need to be a cancer..
Please revert back with x ray..
Thanks and regards.
Dr.Honey Nandwani Arora.
Note: Consult an experienced Otolaryngologist / ENT Specialist online for further follow up on ear, nose, and throat issues - Book a Call now.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Yogesh D
Answered by
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