When a dentist notices wisdom teeth, they often suggest for extractions, but many patient may not know why. In short, wisdom teeth are not necessary for optimal oral health and can often provide many benefits when removed. Here are a few reasons why you would want to remove your wisdom teeth.
Which Ones Are the Wisdom Teeth?
Wisdom teeth are the set of third molars in the back of the mouth, erupting during early adulthood. Often, these teeth erupt impacted and misaligned from the rest of the teeth, causing a host of issues that would otherwise be avoided with an extraction.
Why would you need to remove your wisdom teeth?
There are several reasons why a patients would be inclined to remove their wisdom teeth.
There is not enough space for them to grow. Once a patient’s mouth has completely developed, there’s a limited amount of space available to allow for optimal function, which is often just outside the need of third molars. Wisdom teeth are large teeth that take up a lot of space that can cause complications with functionality when they try to make room for themselves within the mouth.
It can cause misalignment. When a tooth erupts impacted, which most often wisdom teeth do, they can affect other teeth in the area and ruin their alignment, even going as far as damaging their enamel as well. Additionally, misaligned teeth can cause a large array of complications, including difficulty maintaining proper dental hygiene and uneven wear on teeth.
It can be a difficult area to keep clean. Notice that people often get cavities on molars? That’s because the farther you go back into the mouth, the more difficult it becomes to clean. Furthermore, there are small grooves on teeth and in between teeth that need to be cleaned everyday otherwise the patient risks developing decay. Reaching into the far corners of the mouth can be difficult for traditional toothbrushes and floss, especially when there’s a giant tooth blocking their ability to get back there. Removing wisdom teeth also removes pockets where bacteria can hide and creates more room for dental tools, improving an individual’s ability to maintain proper dental hygiene through routine at-home care.
It may cause swelling and pain while erupting. Generally, wisdom teeth erupt last. Moreover, this eruption period can often take weeks up to a few months, which is often accompanied by swelling and pain around the area as it erupts. Preventive measure can be taken by extracting the tooth prior to its eruption.
Find out More!
You may or may not need your wisdom teeth removed, but you may still be inclined to do so anyway. Find out more about wisdom teeth removal by visiting our office in Glen Allen and scheduling a consultation today.