Should I Have My Wisdom Teeth Removed?

Should I Have My Wisdom Teeth Removed?

There are different schools of thought regarding wisdom teeth. At our dental office located downtown Vancouver, we throughly discuss options with each patient, so the best decision for their individual case.

An aggressive approach would suggest that all wisdom teeth should be removed. This might be analogous to saying all tonsils should be removed, therefore not necessary.

Let’s look at some problems associated with wisdom teeth which are actually third molars:

Plaque Retention

Plaque retention: the wisdom teeth are very far back in the mouth and difficult to clean with a toothbrush.

Cavity in Wisdom Tooth

If a cavity develops it is difficult for the dentist to get a good filling done because of challenging access.

Chance of an Infection

If a wisdom tooth is not grown completely into your mouth there will be a chance for bacteria to live around it and cause an infection.

Wisdom Tooth Not Growing

If a wisdom tooth is stuck in your jaw and not growing into your mouth it can sometimes become infected or have a cyst (fluid filled) develop around it

Angulated Wisdom Tooth

An angulated wisdom tooth can cause a cavity on the backside of its neighboring tooth.


 

Once these potential problems are taken into consideration, a decision for what is best (removing or not removing) can be made. If you would like to discuss your options further please contact us to visit our downtown Vancouver location.