Dr. Chon strongly recommends that wisdom teeth be removed because it is very rare that wisdom teeth develop properly and do not cause any problems. If wisdom teeth are left untreated, wisdom teeth can cause many complications such as impaction, infection, teeth or root damage, nerve damage, and cysts or tumors.

• Impaction. Wisdom teeth are trapped beneath the gums and pressure from the erupting wisdom teeth may move other teeth and cause crowding.
• Infection. Impacted or partially erupted teeth are difficult to clean around, which can collect pockets of bacteria and cause an infection.
• Teeth and root damage. Wisdom teeth can grow towards healthy roots of your adjacent teeth which can cause root canal treatment or sometimes tooth extraction.
• Nerve damage. Wisdom teeth have large and unpredictable roots that can potentially grow towards and damage your nerves in your mouth and jaw.
• Cysts and tumors. Tumors and cysts form around wisdom teeth and cause destruction to jawbone and healthy teeth.