Watch Wisdom Teeth

When do wisdom teeth need to come out?

Between the ages of 17 and 25, the third molars, better known as wisdom teeth, usually try to come in. Most people do not have enough room at the back of the jaw for them, so they become impacted, either trapped beneath the gum or angled into the neighboring teeth. At that point, keeping them often leads to more trouble than having them removed.

A partially erupted wisdom tooth makes a perfect trap for food and bacteria, which brings swelling, infection, and painful flare-ups in the gum tissue. An impacted wisdom tooth that presses on the molar in front of it puts both teeth at risk of damage, cavities, and even bone resorption. Less often, a fluid-filled cyst forms around an impacted tooth and damages the surrounding bone. The video walks through each of these most common issues.

Comfort during removal can range from local anesthesia to oral or IV sedation or general anesthesia, and for complex or impacted teeth the specialist who performs the extraction matches the level to the case. For care in our own office, our sedation dentistry page explains the options we offer. With current techniques, wisdom tooth removal is a routine procedure for the specialists who do it.

Pressure, swelling, or pain at the back of your mouth is a reason to act now, so request an evaluation at Modern Essence Dentistry. We will take an X-ray and check the position of your wisdom teeth. Simple extractions are often handled in our office, and we refer complex or impacted cases to a specialist.

Read the video transcript