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The alternative to having wisdom teeth removed is to keep them. A few lucky
people are able to keep their wisdom teeth and care for them as they would
their other teeth. But for most of us, this isn't possible, and a delay
in their removal can cause serious problems.
An impacted wisdom tooth may push on other teeth. It can be very painful
when a wisdom tooth that has started to erupt becomes infected. This is a
common dental emergency that can cause pain for days, even after antibiotics
are started.
A misaligned tooth can also cause cavities. This x-ray shows a wisdom tooth
coming in sideways and causing a cavity in the second molar. And wisdom teeth
are nearly impossible to keep free of plaque.
Plaque caused the cavity in this wisdom tooth. Plaque also causes
periodontal disease, which may start near the wisdom teeth and spread
throughout the mouth. Sometimes cysts form around impacted wisdom teeth. Cysts
can destroy a tremendous amount of bone before they're even noticed and may
require surgery to remove.
As time passes, the roots of wisdom teeth may grow around a nerve in the
jaw. When this happens, the nerves entwined in the roots of the wisdom teeth
can be damaged during extraction. This could leave your lip and chin
permanently numb. Because of these many serious problems, it's usually better
to remove wisdom teeth early, even before they break through the gums.
You may also be interested in:
- What are the impacted wisdom teeth?
- Indications for Removing Wisdom Teeth.
- The Pro's and Con's of Wisdom Tooth Removal
- Wisdom Teeth: the Operation and What to Expect Afterward
- Post Operative Care for Wisdom Teeth Extraction
- Wisdom of the Ages is Like Money in the Bank
- Information about intravous sedation (IV sedation)
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