Should You Extract a Painless Wisdom Tooth?

For many people, wisdom teeth are temporary inconveniences that are eventually extracted, either due to preference or necessity. For others, they’re a barely-noticeable final addition to their smiles that never disturb their oral health. The trouble for people wondering if they should extract a wisdom tooth is that they may not know if it’s necessary until the tooth begins to hurt. Officially known as your third set of permanent molars, wisdom teeth often have little room to grow on dental ridges that already hold 28 teeth. Even if yours don’t hurt yet, your Grand Prairie dentist, Dr. Quinn Smith, may recommend extracting them to prevent possible complications in the future.

As a wisdom tooth, or third molar, prepares to erupt, it might butt up against the molar that’s already settled at the end of your dental ridge (known as impaction). Since you can’t stop a tooth from growing, the third molar will continue trying to erupt out of your jawbone and through the gum line. The force can push your teeth out of alignment and throw the wisdom tooth into an odd angle of growth. Besides serious discomfort, the disruption can lead to a host of subsequent dental issues, including tooth damage.

If your wisdom teeth hurt, or the teeth and gums around them are store, then they may have become impacted and require an extraction. If they don’t hurt, however, Dr. Smith warns not to assume that no problem exists. While your third molars may grow in uninhibited, the damage that could result if they become impacted could require extensive treatment to relive the discomfort and restore your good dental health.

Dr. Quinn Smith is a well-respected and highly experienced general, restorative, and family dentist in Grand Prairie, TX. He takes a patient-first approach that starts from the moment patients enter our Pecan Tree Dental office, and he offers a three-year guarantee on all dental work that he performs. Whether you and your family are new or returning patients, you can schedule a consultation or your next appointment with Dr. Smith by contacting us at (972) 262-5111.