How do I know I need to have my wisdom teeth removed?

Generally, wisdom teeth emerge in late teens to early twenties. Frequently the eruptions of these teeth are blocked by soft tissue, bone or adjacent teeth and are considered impacted.  Removal of wisdom teeth is necessary to prevent decay of adjacent teeth, possible infection, cysts or tumors, jaw pain or crowding of other teeth.  Most wisdom teeth need to be removed but a policy of watchful-waiting can be adopted for those that are not cystic, painful, or erosive to adjacent teeth.

If you have pain with your wisdom teeth or just want them evaluated, call the Dental Clinic at the Wilce Student Health Services to make an appointment with a dentist for consultation. After doing an oral exam and taking an X-ray, your dentist can evaluate your wisdom teeth and discuss whether or not they should be removed.  A referral can be sent to an oral surgeon for further evaluation.

Laurie Smith, RDH

One thought on “How do I know I need to have my wisdom teeth removed?

  1. hi I’m 12 years and 39 kgs. this afternoon I went to the toilet and on the tissue paper was blood after wiping all that blood they’re come a black substance… this is my first time experiencing this

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