Expert: Joel S. Teig, DMD, Diplomate ABOMS, retired - 8/1/2007

Question
i went to the oral surgeon today and he took out my x ray. which showed me that my lower left wisdom tooh is still deep in the gums under the bone and vertically impacted. the root is just near the nerve..not touching but very close to it. a line of cyst was visible too. he said your lip will lose sensitivity forever if you remove it. he asked for x rays every two years.

now my quetions to you are if you kindly reply as this is scaring me a lot:(

1) should i leave the tooth alone as he says and keep checking cyst..i have fear it may become more diff later on..now the cyst is very minot and just near the top of the tooth..cyst is not in roots. i m 36 yrs old. and i m scared of the procedure.

2) do you have any idea who i should refer to.


3) my lower jaw is small he says..so its very diff.

pls tell me what to do..i m afraid if left this tooth will create cancer or something and cause more damage..do u think removing it will cause permanent lip sensation?

thanks

Answer
Shraddha - You are correct to question the opinion of this surgeon.  Of course, I do not know the size of the cyst related to the bone, but having removed a cystic lesion half the size of the entire jaw along with an impacted tooth, I can tell you that a good surgeon, though he can warn you of potential problems, should remove the tooth and cyst.

Most cystic lesions associated with teeth are not cancerous, so that should not be the concern.  The main reason to remove the tooth and cyst now is to prevent the growth of the cyst and weakening of the jaw by leaving it alone.  This can leave you with a weakened jaw that can fracture.  Yes, removing of the cyst and tooth can potentially cause a fracture, although small chance, but leaving it alone will produce a fracture with weakening of the jaw.

I don't know where you live, but if you get back to me and tell me where you live I will give you names of board certified oral and maxillofacial surgeons.