Every year there are more than 10 million wisdom teeth removed out of mouths across the country. Wisdom tooth extraction is very common and there is a good reason why. You aren’t required or mandated to remove your wisdom teeth, should you have them,  but when they come in it is generally a good idea to get rid of them once they emerge. Wisdom teeth can cause many painful oral health complications including:

• Increasing pain in the back of the mouth as the tooth emerges may start out mild but it almost always overtime will persist until it becomes unbearable.
• When the wisdom teeth start to press through the gums, this can cause swelling and redness.
• The structure of your jawbone along with the spacing of your teeth could prevent the wisdom teeth from coming through. When this happens, it can be incredibly painful or lead to the formation of a cyst.
• When the wisdom teeth start breaching the surface of your gums this can cause openings that accumulate bacteria and lead to oral infections.
• Overcrowding in the mouth can make it difficult to thoroughly clean teeth through flossing. Organic debris and food particles then cannot be removed and get stuck in and around the gums as well as between the teeth. As this grime sits on the surface of the tooth, it will start to decay and cavities will form.
• If your mouth doesn’t have the room for these teeth to move in, they can push your other teeth out of alignment make your smile crooked and uneven.

Do All People Have Wisdom Teeth?

People who have wisdom teeth can have anywhere from one to four waiting to burst through the gums. Typically, wisdom teeth will start working their way up as early as age 17 through 21 years of age. As the third set of molars, there are several situations where these teeth come in and cause oral health problems or are unable to break through the gums and become impacted.

If you are an older teen or a younger adult and you aren’t able to see your wisdom teeth that don’t necessarily mean you don’t have them. You can see your San Marcos family dentist have an X-ray was done which will detect whether or not you have wisdom teeth. Potentially, the reason you aren’t seeing your wisdom teeth is that they have become impacted. If this is the case, the X-ray will show the condition.

If the X-ray shows that you don’t have wisdom teeth, this isn’t an indicator of a problem. Many people don’t have wisdom teeth for a variety of reasons. As many as 37% of people are missing their third molars. Genetics, nutrition, or the environment can all play a role in why a person doesn’t have wisdom teeth.

Speak with a San Marcos Wisdom Tooth Removal Dentist Today

You can learn more about if you have wisdom teeth or if you should have your wisdom teeth removed during a free consultation with Dr. McBride, a San Deigo wisdom tooth removal dentist by calling (760) 471-1003. McBride Dental is committed to keeping your smile as healthy as possible.