The elusive M3: Should I Remove Wisdom Teeth?

Do you know if you should extract your wisdom teeth? Or when you should get them removed?Wisdom teeth – so called because they make their grand entrance during the late teens, when people are approaching the “wisdom” of adulthood – can be awfully troublesome. In most cases, they grow out incorrectly, even sideways, becoming impacted within the jaw or crowd the other teeth.

That’s when wisdom teeth can lead to infection and a host of other problems. Dentists, oral surgeons and all other health professionals alike agree that these additional molars should be taken out as soon as possible to avoid the impending problems.

Medical experts agree that the extraction process tends to be easier when the patient is younger. The risk of medical complications increases as people get older, and so does the amount of healing time required, so many oral surgeons recommend removing wisdom teeth early on as a preventative measure.

Rarely, the third molar grows out perfectly. All four molars develop in the far corners of the mouth, right on schedule and with plenty of room, without problems. In those cases there was never any need to have the M3s (as they are also called) removed and doing so would have caused needless pain and expense for the patient. So yes, there are a small number of occurrences where patients don’t have to get their wisdom teeth removed.

With those few instances in mind, medical professionals do not always agree on whether the removal of wisdom teeth as a preventative measure is a good idea or not. “There is no pat answer,” says the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons.

True; there may be no pat answer. The best answer and course of action for any child and young adult is to always maintain a regular relationship with a qualified dentist. You can trust them to keep an eye on the developing teeth, using X-ray imagery to see how the wisdom teeth are positioned as they grow.

When it comes to wisdom teeth, it’s recommended to remove them before problems develop. This will help you avoid pain and serious complications caused by impacted M3s. Determining whether problems will develop, however, requires an expert eye. For that, dentists and oral surgeons are here to help.