So I had the last upper molar in the upper right quadrant removed in February and suddenly it seemed like I had a real BIG bone shard coming out...BUT today looking up at it I realized its the one remaining wisdom tooth I had which had previously been up in my sinus area but is now coming in! It's deformed a bit, awful sharp looking and I don't know at this point if I will get lucky and be able to let it replace the now missing molar. I was shocked to see this tooth coming in like this. It is sharp looking from what is exposing now, but I am wondering if it is possible that it might be usable. Do I have to have xrays to tell? What do you think?

Hi Pamster,
A wisdom tooth can push through the gum at any time, at any age! I had a pt who wore a full upper denture for 25 years. One day she called me and said she swore she had a tooth popping through! Sure enough, it was her upper wisdom tooth!

Wisdom teeth are frequently misshapen and have a 50/50 chance of being functional in the mouth. The piece that you are seeing is likely a cusp and it will look sharp. It may or may not come down any more than that. It may also be very small or large and not vital. Sometimes, they can be moved into place so they are functional, other times it is just not worth the effort or expense as the tooth is deformed and/or not healthy.

It would be wise to have an xray to determine the size, shape and location of the tooth so you can determine if you want to leave it or remove it.

Let us know what you find out!

Bryanna

Thanks Bryanna! I had a feeling it was 50/50 on the chances of keeping it, that would be so great if I can use it, if not then it's going to come out. I just had no idea that it was possible it could start moving like this after that one last tooth up top was pulled, totally caught me off guard.

So I have about a cuspad sized wisdom tooth, I am wondering is it possible to use a partial thing implanted using that tooth as an anchor? I would love to eat better again and restore that side's bite. Could a cuspad sized wisdom tooth have any chance of holding up such a device? Thanks in advance Bryanna, I am wondering if it's a good thing that this tooth came in now that that top jaw molar is missing, can it restore my bite?

Hi Pamster,

The term is "cuspid" and I assume your dentist was making reference to the size of a bi-cuspid tooth? These are also called pre-molars which are the teeth directly in front of the first molar. They vary in size from one person to another as far as the length of the roots are concerned. Whether or not this size wisdom tooth would make a solid anchor for a removable partial, would depend on the health of the tooth, the angle that it is situated and how far out of the gum it is, and the length of it's root.

Keep us posted!
Bryanna

Thanks Bryanna! I kinda figured it had to do with those things, it is out of the gum about one third of a centimeter or so but it is off to an angle. I will have to go to the dentist when I sell a book. Still trying on that, writing all the time too trying to come up with something sellable. When it happens I will definitely be posting about it and update this thread since I definitely plan on seeing if I can get something done to restore my bite on the right side.