Wisdom Teeth: Friend or Foe? | McKinney, Texas Dentist Recommends

Wisdom teeth: friend or foe? We’ve all seen the funny videos online of patients acting silly after laughing gas while recovering from wisdom teeth extraction. Wisdom teeth are little more complicated than what’s in the eye. How can wisdom teeth impact our oral health?

Over time, the human jaw has evolved to the point where we no longer have uses for the wisdom teeth. More often than not, wisdom teeth can result in dental complications. Those that have a jaw that can support all four wisdom teeth without complications are both lucky and rare.

For the most part, these are the potential complications that can result if the wisdom teeth are not extracted…

If you are interested in straightening your teeth, the eruption of your wisdom teeth can cause them to push up on your other teeth and cause crowding.
Wisdom teeth that are impacted, meaning that they grow underneath the jawbone at a certain angle, and can lead to tooth/ jaw pain. There’s a cranial nerve running in your jawbone, a complicated wisdom tooth angualtion can impact that and cause nerve damage.
Wisdom teeth that have started to poke out of the gum can result in a harboring of bacteria. Due to the positioning of the wisdom teeth being so far back and the potential of the cheek getting in the way, brushing the wisdom teeth is extremely difficult.

This can increase the risk of food traps and put you at a higher risk of getting cavities that can spread to your other teeth.

Overall, most dentists would recommend extracting your wisdom teeth, especially if it is causing you pain. If you are interested in wisdom teeth extraction, please call your local McKinney, Texas based dentist Dr. Huyen Nguyen at Ridge Commons Family Dentistry (972-972-872). We can get you in and evaluate your wisdom teeth and guide you throughout the rest.

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