Six reasons why your wisdom teeth might need to be removed

Did you know around 35% of people are born without wisdom teeth? It’s true! These lucky people don’t have these troublesome teeth to deal with.

The other 65% of us, however, do have wisdom teeth. Furthermore, many of us end up having them taken out.

But what are the reasons why a dentist would need to remove your wisdom teeth? In this post, we’ll go over some of the reasons why you might need your wisdom teeth removed.

1) Cavities

No one wants cavities, but unfortunately, your wisdom teeth are at a higher risk of cavities than your other teeth because they’re harder to clean. Being at the very back of your mouth, your wisdom teeth are certainly easy to neglect. They’re also more difficult to see than your other teeth, which means you can’t visually inspect them as easily.

Partially impacted wisdom teeth (which is where the wisdom tooth has only partially emerged from the gum) are at an even higher risk of cavities because bacteria can easily get trapped between the tooth and the gum.

2) Pericoronitis

Partially impacted wisdom teeth can sometimes leave a flap of gum covering the tooth. This flap of gum can be problematic because food can get stuck under it and cause an infection called pericoronitis.

Pericoronitis is the most common reason for why people need their wisdom teeth taken out. Did you know that it usually happens with the lower wisdom teeth rather than upper ones?

3) Pain

Impacted wisdom teeth can push against your other teeth and cause pain. In this case, your dentist will recommend that you get the wisdom tooth removed. However, many people have impacted wisdom tooth and feel no pain at all, in which case removing your wisdom teeth might not be necessary.

4) Crowding

Crowding is another complication of impacted wisdom teeth. Crowding happens when your wisdom teeth push against your other teeth and cause them to become crooked. If you want to make your teeth straight again, then braces and removal of the wisdom tooth are the order of the day here.

5) Cysts

Wisdom teeth can also cause cysts, which are fluid-filled growths that can permanently damage your teeth, bone and nerves. If a dentist sees a cyst on an x-ray, then he or she will almost certainly recommend that you get the cyst and wisdom tooth removed as soon as possible.

6) Tumours

Finally, the most serious type of complication arising from wisdom teeth are tumours. Don’t worry though because they’re very rare. Furthermore, most tumours are non-cancerous (benign).

For the very small number of people who do have a tumour, removal of tissue and bone may be required, along with the tumour and wisdom tooth.

What to do if you have problems with your wisdom teeth

There’s not much you can do to prevent problems with your wisdom teeth apart from brushing and flossing twice a day. You should also visit to a dentist for regular check-ups as this can help spot problems before they get worse. To make a check-up appointment with us, simply call our friendly receptionists!