Not So Wise Wisdom Teeth

To remove or not to remove, that is the question.  Many of our patients function normally with wisdom teeth and others have issues.  We treat wisdom teeth on a case by case basis at Gilmore Dental.

• Pain or jaw stiffness near an impacted tooth.
• Pain or irritation from a tooth coming in at an awkward angle rubbing against the cheek, tongue or top or bottom of your mouth.
• An infected swelling  in the flap of gum tissue that has formed on top of an impacted tooth that has broken partway through the gum.
• Crowding of other teeth.
• Tooth decay or gum disease if there isn't enough room to properly clean your wisdom tooth or nearby teeth. 

Some patient may not even know they have issues regarding their wisdom, as there are silent symptoms.  A patient came to see us, 50 years old.  The panoramic x-ray revealed a cyst that had eaten away the jaw bone surrounding the impacted wisdom tooth.

Should you remove your wisdom teeth?  If you are having symptoms you should investigate removal.  At any rate, getting regular cleanings and x-rays are the best ways to ward off most wisdom teeth issues.