Ok, you’ve made it past the teen years with your wisdom teeth intact and you’re wondering how much longer they will remain in your mouth. This is a good question to ask your dentist.
Most will tell you that if the teeth do come, and there is plenty of room in your mouth for them, then there’s no reason to perform an extraction. You can still practice good oral hygiene with wisdom teeth as long as there’s enough space in the mouth.
However, if the dentist feels the wisdom teeth are posing a threat to your dental health by creating an area that is difficult to brush and keep clean, they will recommend getting the teeth removed, even if you’re much older than the typical wisdom tooth removal patient.
Some people don’t have to ever worry about wisdom tooth removal, because they don’t have any. Just as a small number of people grow an extra set of teeth, a small number do not have wisdom teeth and never have to deal with the question of whether to have them pulled.
But what about if they are impacted? An impacted wisdom tooth is one that can’t fully grow in because it is running into some type of barrier, usually another tooth. They can be caused by the size of the jaw or the orientation of the tooth in the gum, before it grows in. Impacted teeth are very common and happen in the majority of people whose wisdom teeth grow in.
Impacted teeth can be painful and can also result in other unpleasant side effects, including:
-Infection
-Swelling
-Bleeding of the tissue around the tooth
-Bad breath
Impacted teeth cannot grow in properly, and so dentists will recommend their removal in most cases.