Patients often wonder if they have to get their wisdom teeth removed. Here is a bit of information about wisdom teeth and why most patients have them removed in their younger years.
Few people are born without wisdom teeth. Others have enough room in their mouths for the teeth. But many of us, get our wisdom teeth taken out as young adults.
In many people, the wisdom teeth are blocked from coming in, usually by bone or other teeth. Sometimes the teeth are tilted under the gum. These are called “impacted” teeth. Impacted teeth may cause pain or you may not even feel anything for years, and you may not even be aware that you have wisdom teeth until your dentist sees them on a x-ray.
This is why regular dental visits are important during your teens and early 20s.X-rays are will be able to show the progress of your wisdom teeth and any problems will be detected early.
Not all wisdom teeth need to be removed. But if there’s a chance your wisdom teeth could cause you some problems. This is why it’s easier to take them out when you’re young, because the roots of the teeth are not fully developed yet, and the bone around the teeth is less dense. So not everyone has to have their wisdom teeth out, but we do recommend getting x-rays taken every 6 months not only for decay detection but to track the progress of your wisdom teeth to verify if in fact they do need to come out.
If you have any questions about your wisdom teeth please give us a call at the office at 509-565-8810.
