Why are wisdom teeth routinely removed?
Wisdom teeth cause more problems than any other tooth in the mouth. They will either partially break the gum tissue and grow in crooked or remain underneath the gum. In nine out of ten people, at least one tooth remains underneath the gum – referred to as an impacted tooth, causing symptoms of future problems of varying degrees. “Even if you have no symptoms now, headaches, earaches, pain in the face, neck, throat and upper and lower teeth can occur if impacted wisdom teeth are not removed.” The most common reasons for removing them are: Decay Saliva, bacteria and food particles can collect around an impacted wisdom tooth, causing it, or the next tooth to decay. It is very difficult to remove such decay. Pain and infection will usually follow. Gum Infection When a wisdom tooth is partially erupted, food and bacteria collect under the gum causing a local infection. This may result in bad breath, pain, swelling and trismus (inability to open the mouth fully). The infection can spread to
