Not everyone needs to have his or her wisdom teeth removed, but everyone that has existing wisdom teeth should have them evaluated. At Metro Square Dental Associates, we carefully consider the alignment and health of your incoming wisdom teeth, as well as your existing molars. There are a number of reasons why their removal may be of assistance to you. Here are just a few of them:
- It can reduce the risk of overcrowding. More likely than not, your wisdom teeth won’t align perfectly behind your second set of molars. In fact, research shows that they grow in at an angle about 45 percent of the time. This can cause quite a few problems for you. Overcrowding can misalign the surrounding teeth, make it more difficult to remove food particles and bacteria, and therefore make tooth decay much more likely. All in all, preemptive removal of your wisdom teeth can save you from a lot of issues with overcrowding. If you choose to pass, braces can also remedy this problem.
- You can avoid impacted teeth — which are quite painful and can be a huge risk of potential infection! When a wisdom tooth partially breaks through the gum and is otherwise partially (or completely) trapped, it is called an impacted tooth. Your jaw might feel stiff, you might suffer from tooth decay and even gum disease — it is all around unpleasant! With wisdom teeth removal, we can avoid having this issue altogether.
- Your daily care could be easier. It is very difficult to access wisdom teeth with a toothbrush or dental floss since they are far back in the mouth. If not properly taken care of, you run the risk of your teeth accumulating food debris, bacteria, and acids that lead to tooth decay. By removing them entirely, you can save yourself a lot of time, effort, and expense that comes with taking care of these tricky teeth.
- You could save money over time. As we mentioned above, overcrowding and impacted wisdom teeth can lead to many oral health issues down the road. Problematic ones may put you at risk for nerve damage, gum disease, cysts, tooth decay, and even infection. In order to ensure we’re taking proper care of you in light of these risks, your dentist will need to closely monitor them with regular x-rays for weeks or even months. Then, if any issues arise or you develop painful symptoms, he or she may end up having to remove them. Preemptive removal of wisdom teeth could allow you to eliminate this extra care — saving you time and money.