What Happens If You Don’t Have Your Wisdom Teeth Removed

Cartoon image of wisdom teeth that need to be removed due to overcrowding and increased risk of dental disease

Many patients have 1-4 wisdom teeth that they may need removed at some point. These teeth, called third molars, tend to erupt when a person is between 17-25 years old. They can cause various problems if they don’t grow in straight. Some get stuck and emerge only partially through the gums or don’t emerge at all. What can happen if you don’t get them out? In this blog post, we discuss some concerns with problematic wisdom teeth.

Increased Risk of Cavities

Wisdom teeth are challenging to clean because you have to reach really far back and the angle is tricky. Difficulty brushing and flossing these teeth leads to a higher risk of decay.

Tooth Damage

When wisdom teeth erupt crooked or you don’t have enough room for them, they can run into neighboring teeth. This causes your teeth to shift and even grind against each other. Besides making cleaning harder, this crowding can cause damage to your enamel and tooth roots.

Infections

Because wisdom teeth and the surrounding teeth are at a higher risk of decay, the risk of infection is also higher. Wisdom teeth can also become impacted, which is when they don’t erupt all the way. This creates a perfect space for bacteria buildup and painful infections.

Cysts

Cysts are fluid-filled sacs that can form in your gums next to impacted wisdom teeth down in the jawbone. If they burst, cysts can damage your teeth, jawbone, and nerves.

Wisdom Teeth Removal in Indian Trail, NC

Wisdom teeth removal is a common form of tooth extraction. Many patients opt for sedation during the process, but even if you’re awake, it will be painless because we thoroughly numb the area. After your surgery, our team will provide detailed aftercare instructions so you heal as smoothly as possible.

While we understand that the prospect of a tooth extraction is never fun, in certain situations they protect you from worse dental consequences down the road. If you have questions or want to schedule an appointment, please contact our Pleasant Plains Dental team today!

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Image from Authority Dental under CC 2.0