Getting your wisdom teeth taken out can seem like a rite of passage among high schoolers, and something that’s just as expected as getting your driver’s license or going to prom. But what if your wisdom teeth don’t actually erupt as expected? Read on to learn more about the common issues associated with these late-blooming molars.

Wisdom Teeth

Wisdom teeth are the final set of molars, or “third molars”, that emerge between the ages of 17 and 25 years old. Although they don’t serve much of a purpose now, wisdom teeth helped our ancient hunter-gatherer ancestors chew and grind down their raw and rough diet of plants, roots, fish, and meat.

Removing Wisdom Teeth

Wisdom teeth grow in crookedly more often than not, and since they are so far back in our small mouths, it can be hard to keep them clean (even if they do grow in correctly). As a result, third molars (especially when they are misaligned) increase your risk of developing decay, cavities, gum disease, and dental infections. Moreover, if they don’t fully erupt and become impacted (trapped under your gums or stuck in your jaw) they can cause infection, pain, harm to neighboring teeth, and nerve damage. For many patients, it’s smart to get them extracted early before they have the chance to cause issues.

Getting your wisdom teeth extracted is similar to any other type of tooth extraction, with some cases being more complex than others, depending on each tooth’s degree of of eruption or impaction. But no matter what type of dental sedation you opt for, you won’t feel pain during the procedure. It normally takes a couple of weeks for the extraction site to heal, and you just have to follow our instructions and be mindful of keeping the extraction site clean so that you don’t develop a dry socket or infection.

Keeping Wisdom Teeth

Some people are able to keep their wisdom teeth if they grow in correctly and do not negatively affect the alignment of their bite or neighboring teeth. But just because these teeth are not causing you pain and discomfort now does not indicate they won’t in the future. They may very well cause future problems! So it’s best for patients to come see regularly for checkups so we can monitor the development and growth of their wisdom teeth. We can determine whether it would be safer for your oral health to have them extracted early. But if you are already experiencing pain, swelling, or tenderness near your wisdom teeth, persistent bad breath, or jaw pain, chances are you should get them removed.