Your first step to determine the need for treatment of impacted wisdom teeth is a complete diagnostic evaluation and consultation by an Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon. At this consultation visit your health history, medications, drug allergies and history will be reviewed. A panoramic radiograph will be obtained to evaluate the position of the impacted teeth, their degree of development along with their proximity to the sinus cavity in the upper jaw and nerve canal in the lower jaw.

Following this an accurate diagnosis can be made and a treatment plan formulated. At that time your surgeon can review any potential risks, choice of anesthesia, as well as recovery time.

If treatment is recommended it is always preferable to treat impacted wisdom teeth earlier and before painful symptoms begin.

Not all wisdom teeth need to be removed. In some cases it is clear they do need to be removed, while there are cases that you may get different opinions.

What is unique about the removal of wisdom teeth, compared to most other dental treatment, is that in most cases the decision to remove the teeth are for the PREVENTION of problems in the future.

Depending on your age the decision may be a timely one since it can be "easier" to remove them at a younger age.

Unfortunately without viewing images of your teeth no opinion on your situation is possible.

There are many complications to leaving wisdom teeth in:

1) They are difficult to keep clean, and most of the time end up with cavities

2.) If they are only partially errupted you will pack food and bacteria under the gums still covering them and end up with an infection

3.) Impacted teeth that aren't completely surrounded in bone can develop cysts from the follicle (membrane) that surrounds an unerrupted tooth

4.) Its best to have them out while you are young and healthy when your body heals more efficiently and you aren't taking medications as many people do as they get older. Ideally you should have them taken out before the root is fully developed to decrease the chances of disturbing the nerve

Wisdom teeth are simply teeth. Some times people do not have enough room in their mouth for these teeth to erupt into a good, functional position. In other words, they are not helping you eat, chew, or speak. Other times these teeth come in and they are difficult to clean due to their location and are hard to reach. Cavities can form on these teeth or the teeth next to them. Other times, the difficulty in cleaning can result in the onset of gum disease. If proper home care can not be established and or the teeth can not be properly restored, then removing the teeth is the best long term solution. Most people function just fine without the wisdom teeth. Bottom line is everyone is different and each case is unique. Photographs and x-rays (preferably a pano) would allow a more definitive recommendation. If you trust your dentist's opinion, ask them why they are recommending the extraction of your wisdom teeth. Ask if it is because they are causing or going to cause a problem, or if they simply want them out because they are wisdom teeth. Then you can make an informed decision based on your own desires.

The most common reason for removal of impacted wisdom teeth is repeated infections/pain associated with the tooth/pericornitis.leaving an impacted tooth if it becomes infected can damage the root of the adjacent tooth..It used to considered that eruption of wisdom teeth can lead to crowding and there are Orthodontists with differing views and recommendations.If the wisdom teeth has guarded prognosis of normal eruption;it is better to remove it earlier than later to minimise surgical complications.

removing wisdom teeth isn't always needed but they are generally an oral health nuisance over your LIFE at some point. There are technical classifications of 'wisdom teeth positions' and their relation to the jaw. What's more important is a basic classification system for patients and what THEY can expect instead of a classification system for the surgeon to describe their position before they pull them. OK, so what do patients care about:

1) The teeth are erupted and I'm chewing on them just fine. No issues. Why pull them?

2) The wisdom teeth are not erupted or are partially erupted. no pain... why pull them?

3) the teeth are deep under gums / bone. no issues. why pull them?

The "to pull or not to pull" answer depends on many factors but i'll try to keep it simple:

1) If you can floss all the way back there and do so regularly, you don't need to pull your wisdom teeth. However consider that as you age, possibly with arthritis, it will be harder and harder for you to floss your wisdom teeth. Eventually this can compromise the gum health around your 2nd molars (teeth right in front of your wisdom teeth) and you may need to pull those too! yikes! so the key is flossing... if you don't floss, then pull them... even if they are fine. Also start flossing LOL.

2) If they are peeking through the gums or SOME of them are peeking through the gums, you can and you probably WILL get an issue called 'operculitis' or 'pericoronotis'. ITIS means 'inflamed/hurting/infected' in a nutshell and will rarely resolve on it's own. the "opercu" or "periocoro" describes the tissue around or over the tooth. This tissue will get infected/inflamed and that is what hurts. If may not hurt now but if you have a tooth just peeking through, this is BOUND TO HAPPEN. Why wait for it to hurt? you can deal with this BEFORE it hurts. Pull em! Even the buried ones because buried ones can eventually become partially buried ones like this. if you have to do one, might as well get sedated and do them all and have no memory of the experience.

3) If they are totally buried... This is where there a lot of "maybe's" come into play. If they are buried but still causing your 2nd molars trouble, then pull them. Also if your dentist is telling you they will eventually come out but right now they are not, then consider that. most likely the teeth are like little balls at this point but if there is bone or teeth that are going to BLOCK their eruption path, instead of the tooth erupting, the roots will grow down... and that can lead to issues with your jaws nerves if you have to remove them later.

What's important? don't wait for pain, trust your dentist is trying to help you, even if it means going through a relatively brief moment (weekend?) of discomfort.

Wisdom teeth cause all type of issues- sometimes people are unable to get far enough to brush properly. This can lead to decay, bone loss surrounding the adjacent teeth . Discomfort or abscesses are also possible. We were also taught in school that when they move it can cause crowding. This is not an issue as much today. It's best to consult your dentist and together make the decision to remove or retain the wisdom teeth

There are several factors that influence the orthodontist's recommendation to either have wisdom teeth removed or to retain them. Following comprehensive orthodontic treatment in a patient who had previous dental crowding and currently has a full complement of healthy teeth, wisdom teeth may be extracted to minimize the possibility of future relapse of crowding. However, a patient who presented with generalized spacing pre-orthodontic therapy may be able to retain the third molars when adequate room is present for them. While everyone is different, impacted wisdom teeth are frequently recommended to be extracted in the majority of cases. It is recommended to address wisdom teeth before an actual problem arises with them in order to minimize discomfort and complications. An informed decision may be made by getting your orthodontist, dentist, and oral surgeon to agree on the best treatment option for you.

Not all wisdom teeth need removed, though I would say that most people are better off without them. The main problem most people have is not having enough space for the teeth to function in the mouth like the rest of their teeth. Sometimes there is so little room for them that they don't come in all of the way and stay stuck below the gums either partially or completely. Even if there is enough room in the mouth for them, they are usually so far back in the mouth that they can be difficult to keep clean enough to avoid caries (cavities). Recurring problems with caries on the wisdom teeth will lead to the need to have them extracted down the road when a patient is older and less likely to heal as well as a younger person. I really don't like extracting wisdom teeth on 80 year old patients, and they don't like it either, but it happens a lot. In my experienced opinion, most wisdom teeth should be extracted, and should be extracted at a young age. I will not leave them in my own children's mouths. Good luck!