A full set of teeth for the average adult is 32 teeth, 16 on the bottom and 16 on the top. The last teeth to come through are known as the wisdom teeth or alternatively the third molars. When the wisdom teeth start to grow through, in many occasions they come through perfectly normally, unfortunately this does not always happen. When making the decision about whether to opt for wisdom teeth removal as a preventative measure, it is important to weigh up the pros and cons of wisdom teeth extraction:

Pros:

-          Helping keep infection at bay

1. oEarly removal of the wisdom teeth will help to keep nasty infections such as gum disease, rotting teeth, bacteria and plaque from building up. Many of these can cause a lot of pain, bad breath and discomfort.

-          Relieve pain

1. oAn impacted wisdom tooth is a tooth that has not fully been able to break through the gum and may be covered by soft tissue or bone. This can cause an enormous amount of pain in the tooth.

-          Avoid cramping in the mouth

1. oAllowing wisdom teeth to surface in an already crowded mouth space can lead to the damage of other teeth or may result in later orthodontic work to correct the problems caused.

-          Quick recovery times for surgery

1. oRecovery time is much quicker when performed at an earlier age. The optimum time for having wisdom teeth removed is between 19-25 years old.

-          Prevention of cysts

1. oAlong with infection, leaving impacted teeth without treatment can cause a build up of fluid forming a cyst. This can then lead to further removal of tissue and bone.

-          Harder to extract the long you leave them

1. oWhen left or ignored for a long period of time, the extraction becomes more difficult, this could result in pain post-surgery

-          Avoiding a stiff jaw

1. oIf the teeth are impacted and sitting underneath the gum, d

Cons:

-          Wisdom teeth removal cost – Patients are generally concerned about the cost of their removals and whether they will be too expensive. Wisdom teeth removal Sydney will be able to provide a quote and further information about what sort of packages are available to you.

-          Can be an asset if they are healthy

1. oSometimes people are reluctant to have their wisdom teeth removed if they are healthy at the time. It doesn’t necessarily mean that the teeth will stay problem free if they are healthy in the initial stages. However if there is room in the mouth and have surfaced relatively problem free, they may be ok not to be removed.
   
   

It’s hard to decide whether removing wisdom teeth as a preventative measure is a good idea. It is a personal decision about whether the extraction and cost will be worth it in the long term. More often than not people chose to have their teeth removed earlier based on recovery times and further implications in later life.