What Happens If I Don't Remove My Wisdom Teeth?

Are you wondering if you need to have your wisdom teeth removed? Or if there are any problems associated with leaving them in? Wisdom teeth, which are also known at the third molars, don’t always emerge from the gums correctly. Sometimes they can fail to emerge, which is known as having impacted wisdom teeth. If you have either of those conditions, our oral surgeon in Melbourne, FL will probably recommend having your them removed in order to maintain the health of your mouth.

Signs You Should Have Your Wisdom Teeth Removed

Wisdom teeth are notorious for developing incorrectly and not emerging properly from the gums. When the wisdom teeth fail to emerge, they are known as impacted wisdom teeth and typically have to be extracted via oral surgery. They can also grow in crooked and twisted, or they can emerge from the gums at an angle, putting pressure on the second molars and causing crowding.

Since wisdom teeth are located at the very back of the mouth, many individuals also have trouble properly brushing and flossing their wisdom teeth. This can lead to cavities, gum inflammation, and infections in the gum tissue surrounding the third molars. If you cannot properly clean them or if they start to show signs of cavities or infection, they may need to be extracted in order to prevent further oral health complications.

Keeping Your Wisdom Teeth Even Though They Should Be Removed

If dental surgery to extract your wisdom teeth is recommended but you opt to keep them anyway, you could experience complications. If your wisdom teeth are crowding your second molars, your second molars should start to shift into your other teeth. Over time, this could result in your other teeth becoming crooked and crowded. If your wisdom teeth are impacted, you could get an abscess or infection in your gum, which can cause extreme pain and difficulty chewing and swallowing. In severe cases, abscesses can become life-threatening.

Not being able to reach and clean your wisdom teeth from all the food particles and plaque from them can result in large cavities forming. Additionally, the gums surrounding them can become inflamed and infected. While cavities in these molars can be filled, it’s usually best to have them extracted.

When You Can Keep Your Wisdom Teeth

In certain instances, you may be able to keep your wisdom teeth, but this is generally determined on a case-by-case basis after digital x-rays have been taken and an examination of your mouth has been performed. These are those cases:

Your third molars have fully emerged.
You can properly brush and floss your wisdom teeth.
Your wisdom teeth emerged straight.
Your third molars are not crowding your other teeth.
You are not experiencing any pain around your back molars.

Wisdom Tooth Removal with Our Dental Surgeon in Melbourne, FL

Our dental surgeon in Melbourne, FL can examine your mouth and take dental x-rays in order to determine if you should have your wisdom teeth removed. In general, if they are impacted, causing you pain, or have signs of infection or abscesses, they should be removed in order to restore the health of your mouth and ensure you can chew properly without pain.

If it is determined that you should have your wisdom teeth removed, our dental surgeon will explain any pre-surgery preparation, tell you what to expect during your wisdom tooth removal, and provide you with aftercare instructions. After the extractions, it typically takes two weeks for the gums to heal and a few months for the empty sockets to fill in with bone. About one week after your oral surgery, our dental surgeon will schedule a follow-up to ensure you are healing properly and not experiencing any complications.

To schedule an appointment with our oral surgeon in Melbourne, FL to see if you should have your wisdom teeth removed, contact us at 321-610-7868.