04/01/2026
Why are wisdom teeth removed?
Wisdom teeth are usually removed if they become impacted or if they are crowding other teeth. This means your wisdom teeth either don’t break through your gums or they only partially break through. Impacted or trapped wisdom teeth can cause problems such as:
Pain on one or both sides of your mouth—with or without eating
Infection—food and bacteria can get stuck in the partial opening or flap around the trapped wisdom tooth and can cause swelling of the gums
Movement of teeth and change in bite
Benign (harmless) cysts or tumors of the jaw
What should I expect if I find out that my wisdom teeth are a problem?
Your dentist and/or oral surgeon will give you specific instructions to follow. Below is a summary of what you might expect to happen if you need to have your wisdom teeth removed.
Your dentist will likely have you make an appointment with an oral surgeon to have your wisdom teeth removed.
Your oral surgeon will talk to you about the procedure and what anesthesia or sedatives (medication that make you relaxed and put you to sleep) will be used.
An x-ray will be taken so that the oral surgeon can remove your tooth/teeth the best way. A panoramic x-ray (an x-ray of your whole mouth) will be taken of all of your wisdom teeth as well as the teeth around them. Some people get all of their wisdom teeth removed to prevent any future problems.
Some oral surgeons prescribe antibiotics before or after surgery. For example; if you have an infection, or a weak immune system.
