How Many Wisdom Teeth Need to be Removed?

Approximately 65% of the population are born with at least one wisdom tooth and as many as four. Most people do not have space in their mouths for these extra teeth, so they become impacted, which means they don’t grow properly upright. Nearly 80% of patients are recommended wisdom teeth removal.

No matter how many wisdom teeth you have, it is likely that your oral surgeon will recommend you have all of them removed at the same time, even if only one of them is bothering you or even if they are not all erupted.

Wisdom teeth will usually cause problems for people in some way. If you only remove the ones that are bothering you, the remaining ones are likely to have complications in the future. Remaining wisdom teeth are more likely to develop gum disease, cavities, and infection because they are so far back in the mouth and difficult to clean. Even wisdom teeth that have not yet erupted can cause these same issues.

Wisdom teeth are easier to remove during adolescent to young adult years when the roots and surrounding bone are still developing. Risk of surgical complications and risk of possible damage to nearby nerves or other structures increases in adulthood.

Removing all wisdom teeth at once is simply more convenient. Each separate visit for a wisdom tooth extraction will take more of your time, for the appointment and the healing period, and you will need to take more time off from school or work. It will also be more expensive in the long run to have multiple extraction visits.

If you are wondering if you need your wisdom teeth extracted, call Midland Dental & Oasis Kids and Orthodontics to schedule an examination!