Wisdom teeth are “extra” teeth that can begin to erupt alongside your existing set of teeth, often appearing in early adulthood, long after all of your permanent teeth have come out and settled. When they don’t erupt fully and healthily, they can cause damage to your other teeth, jaw problems, as well as an increased chance of cavities and infection. Not all wisdom teeth are a problem, but if you’re experiencing any of the following, you should talk to a dentist about them.
You’re experiencing pain around them
If your wisdom tooth is feeling pain as it’s coming through, then there’s a good chance that it might be having trouble erupting. Wisdom teeth can be just fine if they’re healthy, fully erupted, and cause no issues with the care of the health of your teeth. If you’re experiencing pain, whether it’s the physical pain of them trying to erupt but failing to or due to a bad toothache, you might want to see about that.
You struggle with cleaning them
One of the reasons that you might feel the pain mentioned above is that wisdom teeth can, in some cases, accelerate decay. Because of the way that they erupt, it can sometimes be difficult to brush and clean them properly, which can make it harder to stay in control of your oral hygiene. This can then lead to decay, cavities, and to other problems down the line. One tooth was undermine your efforts to take care of your oral health, so you might need to see about getting that tooth removed.
It feels like there’s extra pressure on your teeth
Another common cause of pain is that your wisdom tooth might be erupting up into your existing teeth. Wisdom teeth are often out of alignment and, when that happens, they can start pushing other teeth out of alignment, as well. In the long term, this can have consequences that you might have to treat with braces or an aligner. Otherwise, you can get in touch with a dentist that can give you an idea of whether it will be a problem and, if so, oral surgery can help you remove the tooth. The recovery from a removed wisdom tooth isn’t all that long, either.
You’re struggling with gum issues
If you have noticed that your gums have become particularly inflamed or tender around the area of your wisdom tooth, then that could be an early sign of gum disease. If your gums bleed when you brush, then that is an even clearer sign. There are ways to treat gum disease, such as by brushing, using antibacterial mouthwash, and going to your dentist for routine cleaning. However, if you are doing all of that but still having problems, it could be due to the fact that your wisdom tooth is making things difficult to clean as a result of its awkward positioning.
Changes in your wisdom teeth need to be monitored over time. You don’t want to risk your other healthy teeth out of neglect, after all.
