From major inconvenience to serious pain, here’s why holding onto your wisdom teeth may not be so wise.
What Are Wisdom Teeth?
Your wisdom teeth, or third molars, come in last of all your adult teeth, which is how they get their name. Usually erupting, or coming in, during the late teens or early 20s, these teeth are likely an ancestral trait leftover from the times of early humans.
“Over the centuries, our skull features have changed, and so have our diets,” says Los Altos, CA cosmetic dentist Joseph Field, DDS. “Frankly, most people’s mouths are too small to accommodate wisdom teeth.” And as they erupt, their need for more space causes a cascade of issues.
Featured Experts
- Joseph Field, DDS is a board-certified cosmetic dentist in Los Altos, CA
- Guy M. Lewis, DDS is a board-certified cosmetic dentist in The Woodlands, TX
- Nathan Hoffman, DDS is a board-certified cosmetic dentist in Chicago
- Patrick J. Broome, DMD is a board-certified cosmetic dentist in Charlotte, NC
- Victoria Veytsman, DDS is a board-certified cosmetic dentist in Beverly Hills, CA
Why Are They Extracted?
According to The Woodlands, TX cosmetic dentist Guy M. Lewis, DDS, wisdom teeth can cause a host of problems for a patient’s dental health. “As wisdom teeth grow, they can put pressure on adjacent teeth, gums, and nerves, leading to persistent pain or discomfort,” he explains. “They can often become impacted—stuck under the gums or in the jawbone— which can cause swelling, pain and infections, such as pericoronitis. This is inflammation of the gum tissue.”
Chicago cosmetic dentist Nathan Hoffman, DDS notes that pain isn’t the only result from this increased pressure on teeth. “Impacted wisdom teeth can also contribute to tooth crowding and misalignment, pushing against adjacent teeth and potentially disrupting orthodontic work or a properly aligned bite,” he explains.
If wisdom teeth are impacted, remaining trapped below the gums, they can also cause dental cysts. “Cysts may damage surrounding bone and teeth, requiring more complex surgical treatment,” Dr. Lewis explains. Additionally, even erupted wisdom teeth can lead to health issues. “Their position makes them hard to clean and prone to cavities and gum disease.”
Wisdom Teeth Can Hold Up Smile Transformations
“If impacted wisdom teeth present a risk to the adjacent teeth, it is wise to have them removed before Invisalign treatment,” advises Charlotte, NC cosmetic dentist Patrick J. Broome, DMD. “Three-dimensional imaging is a valuable tool to foresee potential complications or concerns, and increase predictability with Invisalign or traditional orthodontic treatment.”
While wisdom teeth may not deter minor smile makeovers, they can result in alignment shifts later on. “Erupted wisdom teeth can interfere with cosmetic dental treatments, particularly if they are misaligned, difficult to clean, or causing crowding,” Dr. Hoffman says. “They can disrupt the results of orthodontic treatment with clear aligners by shifting teeth out of alignment.”
When you’re getting a new smile, your cosmetic dentist will want to ensure your mouth is healthy and your bite is functional. “Wisdom teeth that are infected or cause bite interference are the most common reasons why they can hold up a smile transformation,” Dr. Field explains.
The Future of Treatment
“There is new technology coming down the pipe for treating wisdom teeth,” says Dr. Field. “One route is laser ablation, which is performed when the teeth are still developing as tooth buds. That kills the tooth before it starts to grow, eliminating the need for a surgical extraction down the line.”
Research on pigs has demonstrated that fully guided microwave ablation has the potential to offer a minimally invasive treatment. “This is not something that will come out tomorrow,” Dr. Field says. “But, it’s definitely an exciting way forward that could remove the need for wisdom teeth surgery in the future.”
Wisdom Teeth and Stem Cells
At the center of wisdom teeth, dental stem cells are housed in the pulp, the soft, innermost tissue. Discovered 25 years ago, dental stem cells have since been used in clinical trials, especially to try and regenerate or regrow tooth structure.
“In terms of the future of dentistry as a whole, I think regenerative medicine has several applications beyond things like repairing cavities,” says Beverly Hills, CA cosmetic dentist Victoria Veytsman, DDS. “Just look at stem cell banking, where the stem cells from teeth are harvested for future medical applications. It’s still early in this process, but not too early to be excited about their potential.”
Unfortunately, we’re still years away from this becoming common practice. “I believe this technology will certainly be the future of dentistry,” says Dr. Lewis. “But, I haven’t yet recommended banking wisdom teeth stem cells.”
Dr. Veytsman agrees, noting that the promise of tooth regenerating technology still has a long way to go. “Researchers would need to be able to activate the pathway that stimulates the cells that create enamel,” she says. “And, that enamel needs to be scaffolded to create the shape of a functional tooth.”
