Dr. Greg Jorgensen
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Rio Rancho, NM 87124

The Jorgensen Orthodontics Blog

Do All Wisdom Teeth Need to Be Removed?

Posted by Dr. Jorgensen on April 5th, 2011



Today, around 90% of Americans have their wisdom teeth removed, but why? Is it because they make the other teeth crooked? That question was the topic of another article I authored entitled “Do Wisdom Teeth Make Your Teeth Crooked?” The take-home-message was that while wisdom teeth may be a factor, there are other things that are probably more to blame. So what are legitimate reasons to have your wisdom teeth removed?


The #2 reason that wisdom teeth are removed is because they are difficult to care for. If a patient has decay or gum disease associated with their wisdom teeth, the dentist will usually just recommend removing them. Not only are they hard for the patient to take care, they are equally hard for the dentist to fix. Removal of wisdom teeth in this condition is usually the best option even if there is sufficient space.

So when is it OK to keep your wisdom teeth? The answer is simple. You should keep them if they have plenty of room and are healthy. Even though most wisdom teeth DO end up needing to be removed, the reason usually has little to do with them causing the rest of your teeth to get crooked.


87 comments so far in response to “Do All Wisdom Teeth Need to Be Removed?”

  1. Dagher says:

    My first lower molar on both side have a big cavity, but both are still alive. my orthodontist suggested to extract the first molar and put braces and move the 2nd molar and 3rd molar (wisdom teeth) and fill the gap of the removed first molar. my wisdom teeth is out and little crowded at the end, but not causing problems (till now). based on the Xray, the wisdom teeth is healthy with 4 roots and no cavities.
    Other doctors suggested to remove the wisdom teeth and keep the first molar since it is nearly impossible to move the 2nd and 3rd molars and fill the gap of the extracted first molar.
    what would you suggest

  2. Hannah says:

    All four of my unerupted wisdom teeth are impacted. Is it possible that by extracting my upper and lower 2nd premolars followed by braces, my wisdom teeth will proceed to grow normally? Thank you.

    • All I can do is give you statistics since I’m not your doctor and have never seen your mouth. 85% of Americans do not have room for their wisdom teeth if they have all of their bicuspids. If four bicuspids are removed, that number drops to 50%. So your odds increase, but 1 out of 2 still need the wisdom teeth removed anyways.

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