Why Some Experts Advise Keeping Your Wisdom Teeth

Many dental experts would tell you that good oral health supports one's overall well-being, so building positive habits to care for your teeth is essential. If you have ever wondered about the many dentist-backed ways to bolster the health of your mouth, you're not alone.

If your wisdom teeth aren't in pain and a dentist has not advised you to schedule their removal, are there any innate benefits to keeping them intact?

The benefits below are not to be taken as medical advice, but rather, as a helpful guide for those who have been informed by their dentist that removing their wisdom teeth is not medically necessary. If you are experiencing tooth pain or oral discomfort, it is best to seek medical attention as soon as possible to ensure your short- and long-term oral health needs are met.

All of that said, let's explore the benefits dentists claim for keeping wisdom teeth intact.

According to the Georgia-based dentist practice Brookpointe Dental, your wisdom teeth support the overall positioning of the other teeth in your mouth. Having your wisdom teeth removed unnecessarily may cause the positioning of some nearby teeth to change.

It is important for many reasons to maintain the structure and positioning of your teeth to avoid problems long-term.

While the Brookpointe dentists say that the changing of tooth positions is mostly a vanity issue rather than an immediate medical concern, it could pose other issues down the road. The term "malocclusion" refers to misaligned teeth, per the source, and difficulties cleaning your teeth could cause tooth decay. You may also develop biting problems, jaw pain, and bone loss in the area where the wisdom tooth was extracted.

According to the Maryland-based practice Natural Dentist Associates, if a dentist tells you that you may safely avoid wisdom tooth extraction by supporting your teeth through other means, one benefit is not undergoing unnecessary surgery.

You thereby avoid certain risks that may be present with wisdom tooth surgery, including any potential reactions to anesthetics, as well as the obvious aches and pains associated with the recovery from surgery.

As the breadth of dental knowledge expands, expert's beliefs evolve. According to Atrium Dental in Arizona, keeping healthy wisdom teeth intact, along with proper maintenance and upkeep, may support a lifetime of pain-free wisdom teeth. This is in stark contrast to older beliefs that wisdom tooth extraction itself is a preventative measure.

Some dentists advise patients that wisdom teeth can indeed stay healthy throughout the entirety of patients' lives. If a dentist has evaluated that your wisdom teeth are fine as-is, building healthy habits to support them over your lifetime and avoiding their removal is a big benefit.

Per a dentist-reviewed article in GoodRX, if you are without insurance, you are likely saving between $200 and more than $1,000 per tooth that would needlessly be extracted. Of course, many factors influence the cost of various medical procedures, but if a dentist deems your wisdom teeth suitable to be kept intact, the huge financial savings of avoiding unnecessary surgery is a major benefit.

According to a blog on the Dezy website, one benefit of keeping your wisdom teeth is protection against cavities. Per the source, if poor habits (such as lack of flossing or improper brushing) have led to plaque on nearby molars, wisdom teeth serve as protectors against further decay and cavities.

It is important to consult a doctor if any pain arises in the molars near the wisdom teeth. It is important to not solely rely on the strength of your wisdom teeth if plaque build-up and poor habits are sabotaging your overall oral health.