Dr. Rittika Chambhal

Wisdom teeth are known to be the final molars to grow out and they complete the set of permanent teeth. They generally start to erupt during the late teens or in the beginning of twenties. 

In case of some people, there is a possibility that the wisdom teeth may never erupt, while others may even grow four and more wisdom teeth. 

It’s not necessary for you to get your wisdom teeth removed if they are correctly positioned in your mouth and do not cause any pain or dental problems. If they are impacted and/or cause crowding in your teeth, a dentist will recommend that you have them removed. There are two ways wisdom teeth may grow.

1. Some will grow in like regular teeth.
2. Some will become impacted.

What if they have grown in and don’t hurt?

If this is the case, the decision is up to you. Wisdom teeth that cause minimal crowding and don’t hurt are fine to keep, but a lot of dentists will recommend that they be removed. Why? They are very susceptible to cavities and are not easily cleansable. If your wisdom teeth have cavities and you cannot clean them due to their location, filling the cavities is unwise because you’ll continue to develop more cavities. The easiest way to avoid this problem is to remove the wisdom teeth altogether.

Some reasons that a dentist would recommend wisdom teeth removal include:

1. Irritation of the surrounding tissue or the signs of a cavity forming.
2. Inability to achieve a proper and thorough routine cleaning of food and bacteria.
3. Inadequate space to accommodate full eruption.
4. Signs of impaction that could lead to damage of surrounding roots.
5. Uncomfortable contact with other teeth or gums.
6. Interference of normal jaw function.

When do wisdom teeth need extraction?

Proper oral care of the teeth will keep them healthy and clean. But there may arise a situation, in which the removal of the wisdom teeth is quite necessary:

1. In certain cases, the wisdom tooth may erupt at a weird angle, compromising the teeth next to it. This may make it difficult to clean the teeth thoroughly, thus resulting in the onset of bacterial growth and periodontal disease. In this case, the wisdom teeth should be removed as soon as possible. 
2. While the wisdom teeth grows out, it may happen that there is not enough space for it to grow properly. As a result the adjacent teeth may face pressure due to crowded teeth, leading to headaches, toothaches and jaw pain. It is best that the wisdom teeth is extracted in this situation.
3. An impacted wisdom tooth, that is, if it has only partially grown out of the tissue, should also be extracted before it can cause serious complications. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a dentist.