Emerging wisdom teeth can cause tremendous pain. However, discomfort or pain is not always the first sign that wisdom teeth removal is necessary. In fact, some people are able to keep their wisdom teeth without any health complications. Everyone is different. The average person can’t really know what the correct course of action is without x-ray imaging and medical expertise.
Wisdom teeth are the third pair of molars located near the back of our mouths, and their emergence can lead to complications like crowding. Why is this? Because the mouths of modern humans typically don’t have enough room to fit these molars well. Today our diets consist of far more soft foods, such as bread and cooked vegetables, than they used to. Since we aren’t constantly chewing on rough meat and raw plants, our jaws often do not grow large enough to accommodate the third pair of molars.
Is Wisdom Teeth Removal Always Necessary?
There is a possibility that your wisdom teeth will grow in perfectly healthy. As long as they are in the right place to help you bite, chew, and clean, then removal may be unnecessary.
However, for most people, one or more wisdom teeth will not have the room they need to emerge in a healthy way. These molars can be out of line with the rest of your teeth, causing problems. Since no two mouths are the same, there is a wide range of conditions that call for the removal of wisdom teeth:
- When wisdom teeth don’t have enough room to emerge, they stay within the gums and can become impacted within your jaw. The resulting pain-inducing infections or cysts may cause further damage.
- Wisdom teeth may partially emerge, making them harder to clean. Such cases result in high amounts of bacteria that can lead to oral infection or gum disease.
- Other complications caused by crowding may necessitate the removal of your wisdom teeth. Even when they are able to completely erupt (grow in), they can still cause excess crowding.
Some oral surgeons may recommend you give your wisdom teeth the time they need to fully emerge. While others advocate wisdom tooth removal early since young people have a greater natural ability to recover from the procedure.
To find out what is right for you, consult a trusted oral surgeon. The following conditions and symptoms are a sign that you need to start the discussion as soon as possible:
- Damage to nearby teeth from crowding
- Pain in your jaw and teeth
- Tumors and cysts
- Repeated infections of the soft tissue around your molars
- Instances of tooth decay
- Gum disease
Consult a Trusted Oral Surgeon
If you experience any of these, talk to your trusted oral surgeon and they can help you identify your best next steps. Wisdom tooth removal may be the cause, and if so, waiting to remove them will only make matters worse. As soon as your wisdom teeth removal is complete, you can recover and get your life back to normal.
