Do Wisdom Teeth Need To Be Extracted?

Whether your wisdom teeth are just starting to erupt or you’ve had them for a while, you may be wondering if they’ll need to be extracted to keep your mouth healthy. While wisdom teeth extractions are very common, they’re not required for all patients. Genetics can play a role in whether patient needs one or all wisdom teeth extracted. Only people who are experiencing complications due to their wisdom teeth need extractions at St. Clair Tooth Co. 

What Are Wisdom Teeth? Explaining The Basics

The wisdom teeth are our final set of adult teeth. They are our third set of molars. Unlike the rest of our adult teeth, which erupt by the age of 13, in most cases, they come in a lot later. Most people start getting their wisdom teeth at about 16 or 17 years of age, though they can erupt as late as the age of 25, in some cases.

The problem with wisdom teeth is that, because they come in so late, many people simply don’t have room in their mouths to accommodate them. This is particularly true if you’ve undergone orthodontic treatment to straighten your teeth. Because of this, the wisdom teeth often cause unpleasant or even dangerous complications when they start to erupt. If this is the case, your wisdom teeth probably need to be extracted.

However, lots of people can keep their wisdom teeth. If they erupt without any problems and are healthy, there’s no reason you need to have them extracted. Some patients also may be missing one, several, or all of their wisdom teeth due to natural genetic variations.

Do My Wisdom Teeth Need To Be Extracted?

So, how do you know if your wisdom teeth are not healthy, and may need to be extracted? Common signs of issues with your wisdom teeth include oral pain and discomfort, particularly around your rear teeth, as well as stiffness and pain in the jaw.

You may also notice discoloration or inflammation of the gum tissue near your wisdom teeth. In more extreme cases, cysts may form in your mouth, you may develop sinus problems, and your jaw or face may swell. Contact us for emergency dental treatment in St. Clair Shores right away if you notice these problems.

What Are The Different Types Of Wisdom Tooth Extraction?

There are two primary types of wisdom tooth extraction, and either one may be required depending on your case.

• Basic extraction – Also called a “simple” extraction, this treatment consists of numbing the mouth, then wiggling the tooth loose, and pulling it out with dental tools. It’s the fastest and easiest method of extracting wisdom teeth, but it can only be used if the tooth has fully erupted from the gums.
  
  
• Surgical extraction – “Impacted” wisdom teeth that are not fully erupted from the gums are treated with a surgical extraction. In this procedure, your dentist cleans and numbs the treatment area, makes an incision in the gum, then cuts the tooth into pieces and extracts it bit-by-bit. 

Contact Us For Wisdom Tooth Extraction In St. Clair Shores

If you’re experiencing oral pain in St. Clair Shores and you believe it’s related to your wisdom teeth, it’s best to schedule a consultation with an experienced dentist like Dr. Carly Cassleman right away. Dr. Cassleman can examine your mouth, determine the proper course of action, and provide you with the care you need. Give us a call at (586) 404-4911 to get the help you need from St. Clair Tooth Co.