Will You Need A Specialist To Remove Your Wisdom Teeth?

As a general matter, the image of dentists pulling teeth is a false one. The vast majority of cases require a dentist to mostly nudge a tooth back and forth until it becomes unmoored and pops out.

With wisdom teeth, this is less likely to be the case. A wisdom tooth is still often in a relatively good internal condition, making it harder to remove. Likewise, the positioning of wisdom teeth in the back of the mouth presents its own set of issues when it comes to using basic techniques. For those reasons, wisdom teeth removal surgery is an option that many patients and doctors have to consider. Before you make a decision, here's what you should know.

Why Does This Happen?

The human jaw is shrinking over a scale of thousands of years. Unfortunately, the number of teeth humans have is not. This basically means that each person has an extra tooth at each corner of the back of the mouth. These generally don't emerge until someone has reached their teens or even their early 20s.

What Are the Consequences of Leaving Wisdom Teeth In?

About 85% of wisdom teeth will have to come out at some point. In many instances, these teeth only partially erupt. A partially erupted wisdom tooth can leave a spot at the gum line where food particles get trapped, ultimately encouraging infection.

They also can grow in at odd angles, sort of like a car that gets stuck in a bad spot trying to merge into a lane during a traffic jam. This can exert pressure on both the jaw and the surrounding teeth, leading to a cascade of damage throughout the entire mouth.

A small number of cases may involve teeth that never erupt. These can sit below the gum line, and they may create a risk of cysts growing. There's even a chance the cysts will eventually become cancerous. Also, overgrown cysts can cause the jaw to break.

Do You Need to See a Specialist?

It's possible that you won't. If you're lucky enough that the teeth can come out by conventional methods, a regular dentist may be able to remove them. Likewise, you might be in the lucky but small percentage of the population who just get four extra teeth to chew with. If your case is bad enough, though, that your dentist wants you to visit wisdom teeth removal surgery specialists, heed that advice.

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