People are usually quite attached to their teeth, which makes many of them reluctant to have their wisdom teeth extracted. After all, why would people be born with extra teeth in the first place? The truth is that while the wisdom teeth served an important function in primitive times, they now often present more liability than benefit to a person’s oral and overall health. Here’s why it is frequently necessary to extract wisdom teeth.
Why Do We Have Wisdom Teeth?
In prehistoric times before cooking food was a common practice, humans largely subsisted on a diet of raw foods such as tough meat and fibrous plant matter. Since people didn’t have ways to puree, grind, chop, marinate, or char their food before they ate it, they needed their third set of molars to provide extra chewing power.
Since people have been cooking their food for tens of thousands of years at this point, this extra chewing force is no longer necessary and modern mouths are often too small to accommodate the wisdom teeth. This leads to a variety of oral health problems when they emerge in a person’s late teens or early twenties. However, some research suggests that regularly eating tougher foods early in life can help the jaw to develop so that wisdom teeth extraction is not necessary.
What Problems Can Wisdom Teeth Cause?
If the mouth does not have enough room to accommodate the wisdom teeth, they can cause a lot of trouble when they emerge. A few problems related to these third molars include:
- Impacted wisdom teeth: In many cases, a person’s wisdom teeth emerge at improper angles or fail to emerge from the gums completely. These impacted wisdom teeth are vulnerable to injury and infection because they do not bite together properly, and they can create pockets where harmful bacteria can breed if they are still fully or partially covered by the gums.
- Crowding: If a patient does not have enough room in their mouth for their wisdom teeth, these emerging molars may crowd the other teeth. This can force the other teeth out of alignment, which is especially discouraging for people who had orthodontic treatments in their teens, and can also cause constant aching pain.
Is It Always Necessary to Extract Wisdom Teeth?
It is not always necessary to extract wisdom teeth. Some people have enough room to accommodate them, allowing these third molars to grow fully into the right places so that they can be properly cleaned and remain healthy for life. Other people are born without wisdom teeth, so they will never have any need to have them extracted.
While no one likes the idea of tooth extractions, they can be necessary to preserve your oral and overall health. If your dentist recommends removing your wisdom teeth, you can rest assured that it is in your best interest.
About the Author
Dr. Puneet Sandhu, DDS is the owner and lead dentist at Complete Dental Care Paradise Valley in Phoenix, AZ. A graduate of the University of Arizona where he completed his degree in physiology with a minor in chemistry in just three years, he went on to earn his dental degree from UCLA. Dr. Sandhu is a faculty member of Spear Education, the world’s largest dental education organization, and holds a Fellowship with the International Dental Implant Association as well as memberships with the American Dental Association, Arizona Dental Association, and Central Arizona Dental Society. Known for his warm, easy-going approach and his belief that patients are true partners in their own care, his clinical focus is full mouth reconstruction and comprehensive restorative dentistry. Outside the office, Dr. Sandhu enjoys Cardinals and Giants football and spending time with his family.
His office in Phoenix, AZ, offers general, restorative, cosmetic, and emergency dentistry as well as wisdom tooth extractions. If your wisdom teeth are causing you trouble, contact his office online or dial (480) 526-4317.
