Not all wisdom teeth need to be removed, but they all need to be checked by your dentist. When they align properly and gum tissue is healthy, wisdom teeth do not have to be removed. Unfortunately, this does not always happen.
The extraction of wisdom teeth is sometimes necessary when they are prevented from properly erupting within the mouth. They may grow sideways and partially emerge from the gum, buried into the bone. Impacted wisdom teeth can take many positions in the bone as they make an effort to find a pathway that will enable them to erupt successfully. Difficulty in opening the mouth, pain while biting and chewing, and tender swelling are a few symptoms of impacted wisdom teeth.
When they have partially erupted, the opening around the tooth is difficult to clean. Food trapped beneath the gums will quickly lead to painful inflammation, which can eventually cause an infection. An acute wisdom teeth infection arises speedily and results in fever, painful swelling, difficulty chewing, and limited mouth opening. Removal of the offending impacted tooth or teeth usually resolves these problems.
Early removal is recommended to avoid further problems and decrease the surgical risk involved in the wisdom teeth removal procedure.
