The removal of wisdom teeth is the most common type of oral surgery. The “third molars” are the last set of permanent teeth to erupt in a person's mouth and are actually the ones least needed. There instances when wisdom teeth can endanger a patient's dental health. First, when they erupt through the gum but the jaw is too small to hold them. The result is forcing other teeth out of alignment and damaging a person’s bite. Another is when they do not erupt through the 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 damage a person’s bite.
When your jaw is too small to accommodate normal wisdom teeth it is common for gum or jaw discomfort and swelling to occur. In addition, there is a greater risk of developing gum (periodontal) disease.
Surgery to remove wisdom teeth is typically the best course of action. If a wisdom tooth has fully erupted through the gum, a standard tooth extraction is performed. If the tooth has not erupted through the gum, an impacted tooth extraction method is used.