5 Reasons To Remove Your Wisdom Teeth

Wisdom teeth are interesting because they present differently for everyone. Some people will never see their wisdom teeth, some people will partially see them or see one or two, and some people might see all of them!

In a lot of cases, wisdom teeth need to be removed – for various different reasons. The procedure is usually under anesthesia but happens quickly.

Here are five reasons to remove your wisdom teeth.

1 – They are impacted

If your wisdom teeth stay impacted, this means they never erupt and stay under your gums. There are lots of reasons that this happens, but if they haven’t erupted by the time you are a young adult they most likely never will.

With impacted wisdom teeth your risk of infection is high, and the potential for damage to the surrounding teeth is high too. You don’t want to damage the roots of your other teeth just for the sake of keeping your wisdom teeth in.

2 – They only come out partially

Unfortunately, wisdom teeth don’t always erupt fully. This means that they can be half out, half buried under your gums. Does this sound painful? It can be.

Usually, the biggest issue with partially erupted wisdom teeth is that they can’t fully be cleaned, which leads to a lot of bacteria growth and infections.

3 – They erupted, but mess up your teeth

Even if your wisdom teeth do erupt fully, there is no guarantee they will seamlessly fit into your mouth. There are times when they push up against your molars, crowd your teeth, and in some cases, even mess up your bite, which can affect how you eat food.

In these cases, it is best to take the wisdom teeth out before they cause more issues.

4 – You have sinus issues

If you are having sinus issues AND you have impacted wisdom teeth, the wisdom teeth are the most likely cause of recurrent sinus infections. Impacted wisdom teeth can cause sinus pain, sinus pressure, and sinus infections, all of which are not comfortable.

5 – You have pain

Oftentimes when wisdom teeth are erupting, you will notice a lot of pain in the back of your mouth. This pain can occur while eating, drinking, or brushing your teeth.

Check with your dentist to see if the teeth have come out fully or if they are in a good position. If not, they will need to be removed.

Keeping your wisdom teeth in check is important and part of the dental exams you get twice a year (if you still have them). Make sure you have your 2023 visits scheduled, and call us if you don’t!