Wisdom teeth or third molars must be removed more often. There are numerous reasons for this phenomenon. Human evolution and nutritional habits have changed drastically since the beginning of our time. Food is now more processed and softened and mastication forces are not as strong as before. Our primitive ancestors displayed more pronounced jaws in anthropologic studies and with time, the human jaws proved less prominent.
Impacted or semi-impacted tooth (partially exposed in the mouth), wisdom teeth may cause many problems such as periodontal disease, caries, resorption of adjacent teeth, cysts or tumors, and can even displace other teeth. The benefits of the surgery often surpass the risks, especially before 25 years old. Ideally these teeth, if required should be removed at the end of the teenage years, before 25 years old. After this age, postoperative complications increase significantly, according to scientific literature. During your consultation, your surgeon will tell you if you require this procedure, will explain why and expose the risks of surgery. You may then consent to the surgery and choose the modality of treatment with local anesthesia or intravenous sedation.