All of our friends and family members have a story to tell about their wisdom teeth.  Some say that they never had their wisdom teeth removed and don't have any problems with them.  Others say, "Get them out as soon as possible.  You don't want to wait as long as I waited!"  Whatever the case, wisdom tooth (3rd molar) removal is something that is done to help your overall health.   Some people manage to keep their wisdom teeth for their whole life, but they are the exception.  Here is a list of reasons why wisdom teeth are removed.  (This list is supported by the American Association of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons Parameters of Care.)  Look at the image at the bottom of this page.

• Pain

• Swelling

• Advanced Decay

• Periodontal (gum) Disease

• Cyst Formation

• Crowding of Adjacent Teeth

• Poor Eruption Prognosis

• Malpostion - e.g. grown out towards the cheek

• Hyper-eruption - tooth grows too far above the line of the bite

• Preventing Damage to Adjacent Teeth

• Blocking Eruption of Another Tooth

• Orthodontic Crowding

• Trauma

• Infection

• Tumor Formation

• Jaw Surgery

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