When wisdom teeth come in healthy and properly positioned they are a valuable asset to your mouth.

However, too frequently problems occur which make it better to have them removed. Sometimes a person’s jaw is not large enough to accommodate their wisdom teeth. This can make it difficult for these teeth to come through or if they do come through can cause other teeth to go out of alignment.

Sometimes wisdom teeth may only partially comer through, grow sideways or remain trapped beneath the gum and the bone.

Here are some reasons your dentist may want you to have your wisdom teeth removed.

The wisdom tooth only partially comes through leaving an opening for bacteria to get in around the tooth. This can result in pain, swelling, stiffness of the jaw and general illness.

A cyst forms causing problems with the gums or bone near the wisdom tooth.

The poorly aligned wisdom tooth is causing or likely to cause damage to the adjacent teeth.

If you have any doubts about whether your wisdom teeth need to be removed get a second opinion. However, if they do need to be removed remember many, many people have had their wisdom teeth pulled and it has caused no difficulty or change in their looks or eating habits.