Wisdom teeth: This is why some people don't need them removed

Some people develop dental issues when the two pairs of molars in the back of their mouth start to develop. For those people, their dentists may recommend the surgical removal of the wisdom teeth. Although now common practice for many people, especially young adults to have their wisdom teeth removed, some people may not need to because theirs may never develop in the first place. There are other reasons why some people may not need to remove their wisdom teeth.

Leave well enough alone

Research published in the Dental Research Journal found that between 5% and 37% of people do not have one or more of their molars. Although the researchers did not investigate why this is the case, they opined that it could simply be down to genetics. So, there’s really no need to remove something that isn’t there to begin with.

An article on Healthline on the subject states that factors such as diet, environment and chewing function could also explain why some people do not develop these sets of teeth. However, experts at the health news outlet cautioned that:

Just because you can’t see your wisdom teeth doesn’t mean they don’t exist. Sometimes, wisdom teeth become impacted or stuck in the gums. And as a result, they don’t fully emerge.

If you’re not sure if you have wisdom teeth or not, you could simply undergo a dental x-ray to reveal any impacted tooth, Healthline added.

To leave or to remove?

Apart from the above factors, other reasons why you should not concern yourself with having your wisdom teeth removed include when they grow straight and erupt normally through your gums, according to A&N Dental.

The article goes on to suggest that wisdom teeth should be left alone if they are properly positioned such that they don’t impact other teeth, your bite or ‘ability to clean your teeth thoroughly’. The piece concluded:

Ultimately, if this third set of molars can grow in just like the previous two sets did, you can skip the extraction process.

Sources used:

A&N Dental: Does Everyone Need Their Wisdom Teeth Extracted?

Healthline: Does Everyone Have Wisdom Teeth?