They don't always have to be removed. What we found is that over the generations, our jaws are getting smaller. Our jaws were originally designed for 32 teeth. As time goes on, we are growing, changing, getting taller, and our jaws are getting smaller as our craniums seem to be getting a bigger. The space that used to hold 32 teeth now only holds 28 for most people. If there is not enough room for the wisdom teeth to grow, they can become impacted or stuck inside the bone and cause problems. They can become infected or destroy other teeth by pushing against them. If an individual patient's teeth are going to grow in healthy, we typically leave them. If there is no room for them to grow, we typically recommend that they be extracted. The earlier you get them out the better, because as they continue to form, the roots get more fully formed. They can be twisted become much harder to get out as our bones get more brittle. It is much easier to do surgery on a young person at 18, 19, or 20 than a person at 60 or 70.
