As human beings, it’s in our nature to follow paths of least resistance and least discomfort, which is why no one looks forward to having their wisdom teeth pulled out. But what happens if you skip it altogether? Will there be any lasting repercussions?

Hopefully not. If you’re lucky, they’ll slide right into place, and you can carry on without a second thought. But it rarely happens that way. Instead, you’re more likely to be in for a lifetime of discomfort, decay, and dental disfigurement depending on your molars. Here are some highlights on what can happen if you don’t get your wisdom teeth pulled out.

Brace(s) for Impact

Perhaps the most common problem is when teeth grow in at an angle. This can vary in severity from mildly crooked to severely impacted. At its worst, impacted teeth can try to grow in completely sideways. In the end, they all create the same problem: pressure on the rest of your teeth.

From there it gets more complicated. Impacted teeth can damage your other teeth, misalign your bite, and in some extreme cases even interfere with the opening and closing of your mouth. Even when those things don’t happen, there’s typically a good deal of swelling, pressure, and pain involved.

3 (Molar Sets) Is a Crowd

Even when your wisdom teeth grow in straight, there’s rarely room for them in your mouth. That third set of molars can, just like impacted teeth, put pressure on the rest of your teeth. At best, you’re looking at more pressure and discomfort. At worst, you’re looking at overcrowding, shifting teeth, and the destruction of all the work your braces did.

If You Incyst

Whether impacted, angled, or straight, wisdom teeth tend to be pretty problematic. Sometimes they don’t erupt all the way or have pockets where bacteria and food particles can collect. This can result in infections, abscesses, and other complications. Even if the tooth never breaks through, you can develop painful cysts that require surgery to remove.

In Decays You Didn’t Know

Even if none of the above happens, you still need to worry about tooth decay and gum disease, problems that are both more likely than normal because wisdom teeth are harder to reach, and thus harder to clean. Just like your other teeth, wisdom teeth have to be cleaned each day, but they’re further back in the mouth, making it more difficult. Not having wisdom teeth pulled means working extra hard every day to keep them clean.

Keeping wisdom teeth involves some real risks that having them removed helps you avoid. If you’re curious as to whether you should have your wisdom teeth pulled out, contact us today so we can help you make this important decision and prevent a potential dental disaster.