Should you have your wisdom teeth removed?

 You Shouldn't Remove Your Wisdom, IF....

 They are Completely erupted and functional,

 Painless,

 Free of cavities,

 Disease-free,

 And Cleanable. (MOST IMPORTANT)

Hi, Dr. Dela Cruz here. If you're asking yourself the question should I have my wisdom teeth removed?" the best answer I can give you is, “It depends”. As a Dentist, wisdom teeth extractions and full mouth extractions are what I do, most days in my office. Believe me, I have taken out a lot of teeth! In the first three years of my career I used to keep count of how many teeth I had removed, and when I hit 10,000 extractions, I finally stopped counting.

With that being said, below is my list of nine reasons why you should remove your wisdom teeth.

My Top 9 Reasons for Removing Wisdom Teeth

1.    Development of cysts and tumors

2.    Localized Infections (Pericornitis)

3.    Damage to neighboring teeth

4.    Tooth decay and Tooth Loss

5.    Periodontal disease

6.    Interference with needed dental treatments.

7.    Risks of complications increases as you age

8.    Recovery time is lengthened as you age

9.    Increased risk of nerve damage and permanent numbness.

I want to first Clarify the difference between….

Asymptomatic VS. Disease Free

·      Asymptomatic simply means no pain or complications perceived by the patient. But this doesn’t mean that there is nothing wrong. In fact, Most of the reasons I have given you, have no symptoms, Beware!!!

Disease Free Means:

o   Free of Cavities

o   Cleansable

o   Room in the jaw for full eruption and functional

o   No Pathology (infection, abnormal growth, cyst formations etc…)

Now on to the Problems…

1.    Development of associated Cysts and Tumors

·      Left with Large bony defect

·      The tooth next to it might have to be extracted

·      Potential that this can turn cancerous

·      High risk of Jaw fracture

2.    Localized Infection (Pericornitis)

3.    Damage to Neighboring Teeth

4.    Tooth decay and Tooth Loss

5.    Periodontal Disease

6.    Interference with needed dental treatments.

7.    Risks of complications increase as you age

8.    Recovery time is longer as you get older

9.    Risk of Nerve Damage and Numbness.

·      Younger Patient = Higher chance of Nerve Regeneration

·      Older Patients = Higher chance of Permanent Nerve damage