Did your dentist advice you to have your wisdom teeth removed?
For your information, wisdom teeth or third molars are remnants from our primitive ancestors who needed those four extra teeth to help chew their diet of raw meat, tree bark, nuts, roots and leaves. As human and humanity evolve, the method of cooking and meal preparation created cuisine that was softer and easier to chew, thus eliminating the need for the additional molars.
Wisdom teeth removal is a common occurrence. Many teenagers and young adults have the surgery to remove their wisdom teeth. The thinking is that it is best to remove those (mostly) useless teeth before they cause infections or other trouble.
They generally emerge fully or partially between age 17 and 26 into limited space and they are often wedged against the second molars. This can cause root damage, decay or gum disease, swelling, and terrible pain.
How necessary is wisdom teeth removal?
The third molars may not need to be removed if they are healthy, fully erupted (emerged completely), positioned correctly and biting properly with their opposing teeth, and able to be cleaned as part of daily hygiene practices.
However, in most cases, wisdom teeth don’t have enough room to grow properly. Erupting wisdom teeth can grow at various angles in the jaw, sometimes even horizontally and hitting the second molars. This is when you need to consult with your dentist.
Other case that requires you to consider removing your wisdom teeth is when the wisdom teeth remain completely hidden within the gums and are unable to emerge normally. They become trapped (impacted) within your jaw and cause so much pain. Even if they are emerged partially through the gums, it is better to have them removed.
When is the best time to remove wisdom teeth?
Some dentists believe that it’s better to remove wisdom teeth at a younger age, because the roots and bone are not fully formed. This allows faster recovery after surgery.
What is the risk of wisdom teeth removal?
Most wisdom tooth extractions don’t result in long-term complications. Wisdom teeth removal is performed by professional dentist who do this procedure nearly every day. However, removal of impacted wisdom teeth occasionally requires a surgical approach that involves making an incision in the gum tissue and removing bone.
Complications that rarely may happen after teeth removal surgery include:
- Painful dry socket, or exposure of bone when the post-surgical blood clot is lost from the site of the surgical wound (socket)
- Infection in the socket from bacteria or trapped food particles
- Damage to nearby teeth, nerves, jawbone or sinuses
What happens if I don’t have them removed?
The main reason to remove wisdom teeth is to prevent them from damaging other healthy teeth. If they do not erupt properly or impacted, they also cause terrible pain. So, if you delay the surgery, you may be exposed to more complications in the future.
How long can I wait to get them removed?
What will happen if you wait and things get worse?
As we discussed before, wisdom teeth removal gets more complicated if the teeth become impacted, and you and your dentist need to assess if waiting might make for a more complicated surgery. The only solution is to always regularly check your oral health to your dentist every six month, to see if the growth of the wisdom teeth.
