Should Healthy Wisdom Teeth Be Removed?

Wisdom teeth are extracted only if there are indications, but in reality, this step is present in almost every patient’s treatment plan. The fact is that in almost all cases, third molars have a negative effect on the oral cavity as a whole, and patients who have no indications for their removal are now extremely rare.

There are three main groups of reasons why oral surgeons remove wisdom teeth:

1. Caries or its complications. A wisdom tooth with caries, pulpitis, or periodontitis becomes a chronic infection in the mouth. Because of its difficult position, it is almost impossible to properly isolate and treat a third molar. In addition, due to their far location, patients often cannot clean them well, which is why caries and inflammation occur very frequently.

2. Incorrect position in the dental arch. A wisdom tooth is often positioned incorrectly, which can lead to destruction of the 7th tooth if the wisdom tooth grows toward it, or to constant trauma of the oral mucosa, recurrent inflammation of the gum flap behind the 8th tooth, and severe pain.

1. Orthodontic indications. The space after removing a wisdom tooth is strategically important for orthodontists when moving teeth. Removal is also needed to solve posterior crowding (a concept from Sadao Sato’s multi-loop arch technique). In addition, extracting third molars helps prevent relapse after orthodontic treatment and the development of orthodontic pathologies. We even often practice germectomy in children when we see a tendency toward malocclusion. Germectomy means removing a wisdom tooth at the bud stage, before it has time to cause orthodontic problems.