All our lives, we have been told ‘one should get their wisdom tooth removed, especially if it causes pain’. But do we really have to?
Dentists recommend removing wisdom teeth to prevent them from impacting your oral health. But what about normal case scenarios? Should we go for removal even if the wisdom teeth erupted properly without causing pain and infection?
This guide will reveal some surprising benefits of keeping wisdom teeth. Also, it will shed some light on wisdom teeth removal benefits so you can decide what to do when you have a choice.
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Note: You may keep your wisdom teeth if they are:
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4 Major Benefits of Keeping Wisdom Teeth
Even though wisdom teeth serve no specific purpose for the current era people, keeping them can have a few surprising benefits that we are not aware of.
Below we have discussed the benefits of keeping wisdom teeth and explained how they support your jaw.
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Provides Support in the Back of the Mouth
A proper and healthily erupted wisdom tooth help maintain the jaw bone and provides extensive support in the back of the mouth. Hence you have a stronger jaw to chew rough and rugged food items.
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Provides Support to the Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ)
Some researchers believe that an adequately erupted wisdom tooth improves the temporomandibular joint’s health and provides support to it.
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Saves from Surgery
Oral surgery is a nightmare for many people. A healthy wisdom tooth prevents the need for extraction or surgery due to infection/decay. Hence, there is no pain or after-care routine to follow.
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Lowers the Risk of Infection after the Surgery
Most people who get their wisdom teeth removed suffer severe side effects like pain, swelling, fever, bad taste in the mouth, and even infection after the extraction.
Keeping wisdom teeth saves you from the hassle of extraction and pain associated with their removal.
So these were a few benefits of keeping wisdom teeth. But we are not done here. In the next part of this guide, we will discuss wisdom teeth removal benefits so you can compare the pros and cons of both.
5 Wisdom Teeth Removal Benefits
Even though healthy wisdom teeth cause no trouble and are safe to keep, they have many health risks.
Below we have listed some significant benefits of wisdom teeth removal. Have a look at them.
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Prevents Overcrowding
Third molars, also called wisdom teeth, disrupt your teeth alignment, especially if they emerge in the teenage years.
In the teenage, a person fully develops their teeth, and there is no room left for third molars. If the wisdom teeth start to erupt at that time, the healthy teeth will go out of alignment and hence cause complications like overcrowding.
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Reduce the Risk of Gum Disease
Impacted wisdom teeth can cause chronic gum conditions like periodontitis. When a person doesn’t maintain proper oral hygiene, stubborn dirt between the partially erupted wisdom teeth causes infection in the surroundings, leading to periodontitis.
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Prevent Damage to the Surrounding Teeth
When a wisdom tooth begins to emerge, it exerts pressure on the surrounding teeth; hence you suffer a condition called ‘impacted wisdom teeth’.
Common symptoms of impacted wisdom teeth include bad breath, tenderness, jaw pain, headaches, and fever. Another reason for impacted wisdom teeth is the third molar emerging at a wrong angle, affecting the nearby teeth.
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Reduces the Risk of Dental Cysts
In some cases, impacted wisdom teeth develops, fluid-filled sacs, or benign tumors/cysts, disrupting the oral nerves and weakening the jawbone.
Getting wisdom teeth removed reduces the chances of their development and prevents jaw fractures which are possible in such situations.
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Improves Oral Hygiene
Even if wisdom teeth healthily emerge, they are challenging to take care of. Regular brushing and flossing cannot help them clean; hence, they accumulate plaque and tartar, eventually leading to decay. Therefore, it is best to get it extracted to prevent any such condition.
So these were the major benefits of removing wisdom teeth, clearly outweighing the pros of keeping them.
If you are at the age of developing wisdom teeth, it’s better to know about the extraction procedure, so you know what to expect and what care routine to follow.
Wisdom Teeth Extraction - What to expect from the Procedure?
Wisdom teeth removal requires minor surgery depending on the tooth’s condition.
For instance, your dentist will go for a simple extraction if the tooth has completely emerged. On the other hand, if the tooth fails to emerge from the jaw properly, you will need to undergo minor surgery.
Wisdom Teeth Removal Procedure
- The treatment starts with your dentist administering a local anesthetic to numb the area.
- Now, depending on your tooth’s condition, the dentist will make a small incision to expose the tooth inside the jaw.
- The tooth is then extracted using the appropriate tools, followed by cleaning the area.
- Lastly, the dentist will stitch the wound to promote healing.
The entire procedure will take 45 minutes to 2 hours.
Conclusion
Not all wisdom teeth need removal. Research says that third molars are a relic of the era when humans used to eat hard food items and consume leaves as a primary source of food.
That being said, in the current era, where humans mostly consume liquids and soft foods, third molars serve no big purpose. Therefore they should be extracted if causing pain and discomfort.
And since their removal offers more benefits than keeping them, it would be wise to do away with them. Book an appointment with your dentist and gather details about the removal procedure.
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