You probably know at least one person who has had their wisdom teeth extracted, and you may be facing that possibility yourself. What are wisdom teeth, and why do so many people have them removed?
The teeth that we commonly refer to as “wisdom teeth” are actually just the third set of molars in an adult mouth. Not all people have wisdom teeth, and of those who do, some of them will have the room and positioning to come in just fine.
For others, unfortunately, wisdom teeth can develop but then become impacted. That means that your jaw either doesn’t have room for them to erupt through the gum line, or that the wisdom teeth are positioned badly and become stuck behind the teeth in front of them.
Left alone, impacted wisdom teeth can develop cavities and gingivitis, and can also affect the alignment of your other teeth. That’s when it’s recommended to have them removed. Unless there are other problems, we can probably handle your extraction right in our office. Depending on the situation, we could recommend either a local or a general anesthetic. Rest assured that in very complicated situations we’ll give you a referral for an oral surgeon instead.
