Many Greenville dentists will recommend that their patients have their wisdom teeth removed at some point. Wisdom teeth are appropriately named because they often are the last adult teeth to erupt, usually breaking through the surface between the late teens and young 20s for most people.
If you have been told that you may need wisdom teeth removal in Greenville, SC, thoughts about the pain, cost and recovery time may come to mind. This begs the question of whether wisdom teeth removal is truly necessary or not, and a closer look will provide greater insight for you.
What Wisdom Teeth May Do
Some wisdom teeth break through the surface of the gums and have absolutely no impact on the other teeth or on oral health in any way. They simply provide you with extra teeth to facilitate chewing. In most cases, however, wisdom teeth can result in cavities because of pockets that are created by the teeth and that are hard to clean.
They may also result in pain, overcrowding, misalignment, shifting of the teeth, jaw bone issues and more. It is difficult to determine if wisdom teeth will cause issues for you once they have erupted, so many dental professionals will recommend the removal of the teeth based on their size, shape or other features in x-rays.
When Removal Is Not Necessary
While many adults have had their wisdom teeth removed before they reach the age of 25 or 30, there are some adults who have not had their teeth removed at all. For example, some people will never get wisdom teeth and your dentist will not usually recommend the removal of the teeth if they are not going to erupt and if they are not causing other issues.
If you have already lost other permanent teeth and have room in your mouth for the wisdom teeth, the dentist may allow these teeth to come in and use braces or other methods to fix alignment or overcrowding issues.
Wisdom teeth removal is common, but it is not guaranteed that you will need this service. Your dental professional, like those from Downtown Dental, will be able to review x-rays to determine if your wisdom teeth need to be removed and to explain to you the reason why.
Sources:
Wisdom Teeth Removal. MayoClinic.
Is Wisdom Teeth Removal Necessary? WebMD.
