tips for adjusting to dentures

The teeth you have in your mouth that are furthest back are called wisdom teeth. Most people get these teeth by their early 20s, and these teeth can often cause a lot of problems in a person's mouth. There are also times, though, when wisdom teeth do not cause any problems at all. If you have your wisdom teeth and appear to be problem-free with them, you do not necessarily have to get them removed; however, you should consider removing them if you experience any of the following problems.

Impacted wisdom teeth

You should not keep your wisdom teeth if you are struggling with any that are impacted. An impacted tooth is a tooth that is basically trapped inside the gums. When a wisdom tooth is trapped like this, it is typically because it is growing in sideways. This means that the tooth will never come through the gums. It will remain trapped inside the gums, and this is not a good thing for a tooth. A tooth like this can harm other teeth in your mouth and can become infected and hard to treat, simply because it is not visible.

Pressure on your other teeth

Secondly, you should consider getting your wisdom teeth removed if they are placing pressure on other teeth in your mouth. This occurs when wisdom teeth grow in crooked. If these teeth are growing towards your other teeth, they could move the other teeth in your mouth. This process takes time, but it can happen, and it can destroy work you had completed through braces. If you feel pressure in your mouth that you cannot explain, it could be from your wisdom teeth.

Decay on your wisdom teeth

Finally, if you suffer from decay on any of your wisdom teeth or any other issues, you should have the teeth removed instead of treating. It is overly difficult to keep decay off wisdom teeth, mainly because they are hard to reach with a toothbrush. It is also hard to floss around these teeth, because they are so far back in your mouth. Instead of treating these teeth as an attempt to save them, you will be much better off having your dentist remove them from your mouth.

If your wisdom teeth erupted straight and without any problems, you can keep them if your mouth is big enough for them to fit. If you have questions about this, talk to a general dentist who offers wisdom teeth extraction services.