Wisdom teeth have been found to cause severe oral problems, especially when they become impacted. Due to the limited space in your mouth, your wisdom teeth (the last four molars to erupt), can often emerge at the wrong angle or get trapped underneath your gums. This is what is commonly referred to as impacted wisdom teeth.

Therefore, the best solution is to have them removed immediately after they erupt, and this prevents many complications that may happen in the future. But what are the consequences of not eliminating bad wisdom teeth? Read on to find out.

Signs of Bad Wisdom Teeth

As noted above, wisdom teeth are the last ones to erupt in your mouth. They usually erupt between the ages of 17 and 25. But because there isn’t enough space, they tend to emerge at the wrong angle or get trapped beneath your gums. This leads to many oral problems.

But sometimes, you may not know you have impacted wisdom teeth until later in life. So, here are some of the signs to look for if you suspect your wisdom teeth are affected, especially when they don’t cause pain or discomfort.

• Red or swollen gums
• Tender or bleeding gums
• Jaw pain
• Swelling around the jaw
• Bad breath
• An unpleasant taste in your mouth
• Difficulty opening your mouth

Risks of Not Removing Your Impacted Wisdom Teeth

Overcrowded Teeth

If there isn’t enough space in your jaw for your wisdom teeth to erupt normally, they’ll come out at the wrong angles, pushing the neighboring teeth. When this happens, no other procedure can help you align your teeth apart from extracting the wisdom teeth. So, if you don’t extract them, you’ll suffer severe consequences like infections and bad breath because food particles and bacteria will be trapped between the crowded and misaligned teeth.

Cysts

Since an impacted wisdom tooth causes your gum to swell, the swollen parts may eventually become fluid-filled sacs, commonly called cysts. These cysts can easily damage your jawbone and gum. If the problem is not fixed immediately, the cysts may become a tumor requiring removal surgery.

Sinus Complications

Since your upper wisdom teeth are located just below your nasal sinus, their roots may pressure your sinuses, causing sinusitis or nasal congestion. This can also cause recurring migraines.