Dental health is an incredibly vital piece to the overall wellness puzzle — for starters, without good teeth and gums, you really can’t eat well. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the importance of good oral health.
So, when wisdom teeth come in and create problems in your mouth, they should probably go. In fact, according to an older study, about 10 million teeth from 5 million Americans are extracted each year in the United States.
If you’re wondering whether your wisdom teeth have become more of a liability than an asset, you’ve come to the right place. At Ideal Dental of Tucson, Dr. Dallin Williams and Dr. Lissette Ruiz have extensive experience with problematic wisdom teeth.
In the following, we look at some key signs that it’s no longer wise to hold onto your wisdom teeth.
During the first 20 or so years of a person’s life, teeth develop and change quite a bit. First, 20 baby teeth come in, and then they’re pushed out by 32 secondary (or adult) teeth.
About 28 of these adult teeth come in during the early teen years, and wisdom teeth come in a little later, between the ages of 17 and 21, on average.
There’s a theory among many researchers that, on a broader evolutionary scale, third molars may be on their way out as they’ve been rendered largely obsolete. These molars played an important role in grinding down food, but we don’t need as much chewing and grinding power these days, thanks to modern diets.
As a result, jaws are shrinking, and about 20% of people are missing wisdom teeth altogether.
For those who do have wisdom teeth come in, these late-comers can cause problems, such as:
One of the primary reasons why we remove wisdom teeth is when they don’t emerge properly. In some cases, the teeth only partially erupt. In other cases, they don’t erupt at all and get trapped in your jaw.
Impaction and failure to erupt are common — in about 8 out of 10 people, at least one wisdom tooth doesn’t come in properly.
When this happens, it can leave the door open for infection-causing bacteria to get in and wreak havoc. In addition, some people develop painful abscesses and cysts around the wisdom tooth, making extraction a more urgent priority.
Another common issue is wisdom teeth that come in sideways or at an angle, which can lead to biting your cheeks and pushing neighboring teeth out of position.
As we mentioned, human jaws are generally smaller, and it can be tough for all 32 teeth to fit comfortably in the mouth. If you or your child’s wisdom teeth start to come into an already crowded space, it can really throw the existing teeth out of balance.
In turn, this sets the stage for more dental care down the road, such as getting braces to better align and space crowded teeth.
Another reason patients want their wisdom teeth removed is that it’s tough to keep these teeth clean. Their positions at the back of your mouth makes them tough to reach, which can invite gum disease and tooth decay.
If you’re on the fence about whether your wisdom teeth are problematic, it’s a great idea to visit us for an evaluation. As your guide, we can let you know whether the third molars are more of a problem than their worth.
If we find removal is best, we want you to know that wisdom tooth extraction is quick and relatively easy.
To get a better idea about the state of your child’s or your wisdom teeth, we invite you to schedule an appointment today with the Ideal Dental of Tucson team in Tucson, Arizona. You can call the office at 505-405-3495 or use the online booking tool.
