Considering the posterior position of an erupted wisdom tooth, these teeth are often difficult to keep clean. If wisdom teeth get tooth decay, it is usually best to extract them instead of removing the decay and fixing wisdom teeth with fillings, root canals, or crowns.

Should decayed wisdom teeth be removed?

Wisdom teeth are usually only removed if they cause problems, or are likely to in the future. There are no scientifically proven health benefits of pulling wisdom teeth that don't cause any problems. What's more, removing wisdom teeth is usually unpleasant and may cause side effects.

What happens if you don't remove decayed wisdom tooth?

While not all patients need their wisdom tooth removed, problems can develop if removal is not performed. Many patients have smaller mouths and jaws, which do not allow room for the third molars to grow in properly. If these teeth do erupt, overcrowding can occur. Your teeth will begin to shift or overlap each other.