Are you considering keeping your wisdom teeth? Perhaps you think that since your wisdom teeth are not bothering you, you don’t need to have them extracted. If you are determining whether you will have your wisdom teeth removed by an oral surgeon, there are some important facts you need to consider before making your decision. Following is some useful information on wisdom teeth and how they affect oral health.
Why Wisdom Teeth are Problematic to Health
Wisdom teeth, also known as third molars, are related to a number of oral health problems. The reason they are so problematic is the fact that they come in during adulthood rather than with the rest of permanent teeth in adolescence. Their late arrival typically means that there is not enough room in the mouth for them to erupt through the gums in an upright and healthy position. Instead, third molars tend to become stuck in the gums or come in sideways.
Impacted or misaligned wisdom teeth can negatively affect the alignment of a patient’s existing teeth and the occlusion by causing teeth to become crowded, crooked, or overlapped. Crowded and overlapped teeth are difficult to keep clean and therefore increase one’s risk for developing tooth decay.
To add further insult to injury, keeping wisdom teeth can lead to painful infections such as abscesses and periodontal disease. Abscesses may require removal of teeth adjacent to wisdom teeth and periodontal disease is the leading cause of tooth loss among adults. These issues are why dental professionals recommend wisdom teeth extraction as a preventive measure against disease and tooth loss.
Benefits of Wisdom Tooth Extraction
Third molars are not necessary to enjoying healthy oral function; in fact, retaining wisdom teeth can put oral function and health at grave risk. Removing wisdom teeth early on can eliminate these threats to oral heath along with increased risks for dental caries, abscesses, and gum disease. Many patients who keep their wisdom teeth experience a reduction in quality of life due to facial pain and headaches—symptoms which typically accompany wisdom tooth retention. These painful symptoms are another reason why tooth extraction is recommended.
To schedule a consultation with our oral surgeon and discuss whether wisdom teeth removal is right for you, call our practice, Texas Oral Surgery Specialists, today.
