Extractions

Third molars, also called wisdom teeth, are the last set of permanent teeth to erupt in a person’s mouth and are usually not needed. Wisdom teeth can disrupt your dental health when:

• They erupt through your gum, but your jaw is too small to hold them. As a result, they force other teeth out of alignment and can disrupt your bite.
• They create a pocket between your teeth, allowing bacteria to get inside. This will lead to an infection and damage the teeth next to them.
• They do not erupt through your gum and are not in a normal position. As a result, they crowd the roots of other teeth, force them out of alignment, and can produce pain

When your jaw is too small to accommodate normal wisdom teeth, it is common for pain and swelling to occur because you cannot properly clean the area. In addition, there is a greater risk of developing gum (periodontal) disease. In most instances, extracting wisdom teeth is the best course of action.

If a wisdom tooth has fully erupted through the gums, a standard tooth extraction is performed. If the tooth has not erupted through the gums, a more complicated extraction procedure is used.