Dr Timothy Robison
425-776-2126
drrobison@dentistryonline.com
Quick Reference
Wisdom Teeth
My dentist says my 18-year-old daughter has to have her wisdom teeth removed. Do I really need to have this done?
Assuming your dentist has examined your daughter, we suspect that her wisdom teeth (often called third molars) don't have enough room to fully grow into her mouth. When this happens, food may get trapped under the gums that partially cover the tops of the wisdom teeth. Unless your daughter practices a rigorous, daily program of dental hygiene that focuses on the wisdom teeth, the trapped food will produce decay and gum infection.
In addition to avoiding decay and infection, extraction is a good idea for other reasons. Because of her age, the roots of her wisdom teeth may still be small and far from the large nerve that runs along the jawbone. After the extractions, bone will more easily fill in the spaces left by her wisdom teeth. All of this means that the extraction process should be easier and the healing more rapid and complete.
More on wisdom tooth extraction.