When visiting a West Hollywood dentist, he or she may recommend the removal of your wisdom teeth. However, you may not be experiencing pain. This lack of pain may make you question whether it is necessary to have the wisdom teeth removed.

Wisdom teeth are the third molars in the back of your mouth. If these teeth have the following characteristics, they may not need removing:

• Fully Erupted
• Healthy
• Correctly Positioned
• Can Be Cleaned Properly

However, even though your wisdom has all of these characteristics and you are not experiencing pain, Bruce Vafa DDS says you may still need to have them removed.

Preventive Measures

When you do not feel pain, you do not need to worry most of the time. However, when it comes to wisdom teeth, a lack of pain does not always mean nothing is wrong. One example is your wisdom teeth may be impacted or stuck.

An impacted tooth cannot break through from your jaw to above the gum line. Your mouth being too small is one reason teeth become affected. Another reason is the teeth may be growing at an angle. If your wisdom teeth are growing at an angle, they can possibly damage the surrounding teeth from the pressure.

West Hollywood dentist may suggest removing healthy molars to help prevent future issues. Bones get harder as you age, and this fact makes it harder to remove teeth. As you age, it is also harder to recover from surgery. You may experience heavy bleeding, numbness, or loss of jaw movement.

Damage To Other Teeth

Wisdom teeth can cause a variety of issues without knowing it. One of the most common problems is damage to surrounding teeth. If your mouth is not large enough to handle the extra teeth, the pressure from the wisdom teeth trying to escape can shift other teeth.

A wisdom tooth that is coming in at an angle will also apply pressure to the adjacent teeth. Bruce Vaja DDS suggests removing wisdom teeth to prevent this damage to surrounding teeth before it happens.

Jaw Damage

Sometimes cysts can develop when the wisdom teeth break through the gums. These cysts can be painful, but not always. If left untreated, the cysts will hollow out the jaw bone and cause nerve damage.

The damage caused by these cysts is irreversible and will last a lifetime. Your jaw can also be damaged by the pressure caused by a wisdom tooth growing at an angle and teeth impacted. If you develop these cysts, your dentist will suggest removing your other wisdom teeth to prevent it from happening again.

Sinus Issues

Many people suffer from sinus issues every day. A variety of factors can cause these issues. However, wisdom teeth issues can lead to sinus problems without you knowing. Your sinuses and your mouth are connected.

If your wisdom teeth are impacted or infected, it will affect your sinus cavity. Wisdom teeth cause pain, congestion, and pressure to build in your sinuses. If your wisdom teeth are healthy and straight, your dentist may suggest removing one top and one lower tooth to remove this pressure and give the mouth room.

Inflamed Gums

Wisdom teeth are located in the far back of your mouth. You will get two on the top and two on the lower jaw. These teeth do not erupt at the same time typically. One will protrude and then another.

As the teeth emerge from the gum line, the surrounding tissue can become inflamed and sore. The location of the teeth makes it difficult to clean this infected tissue properly.

Cavities

The swollen gums caused by the teeth erupting can create small pockets between healthy teeth. These pockets allow bacteria to grow and cause cavities.

Alignment

As discussed previously, your mouth is sometimes too small for your wisdom teeth. If you do not remove your wisdom teeth and all four erupt, it will cause overcrowding with the other teeth.

This issue happens even with impacted wisdom teeth. This pressure and crowding can lead to other teeth shifting. This issue will require braces to straighten out your other teeth.

Wisdom teeth can cause pain but not always. Sometimes, you remove wisdom teeth to prevent future issues. If you are unsure if you need to remove your wisdom teeth, call Dr. Vafa today for a free dental evaluation.