Wisdom Teeth: To Be Or Not To Be?

Wisdom Teeth: To Be Or Not To Be?
One fine day you wake up and find that the area behind your last tooth is swollen and tender to touch and you are unable to swallow.
Panic leads you nice and early to knock the doors of your dentist's office.
He/She tells you that it is your wisdom tooth that is trying to tear your gum and take its rightful place in your mouth, but it would be better to get it removed.
Now here is a dilemma if any.
How can you consent to get a tooth removed and that too one which has not yet erupted?
Your dentist is right, says a recent article published in the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.
The article tracks a study in which 254 patients who avoided getting their wisdom teeth removed.
These patients in their late teens to early 20s experienced gum problems in later life.
In a separate study related to the delay in getting these troublesome teeth extracted, it was found that 1,020 pregnant women in their early to late 20s had developed severe gum disease around the area and has a significant risk of giving birth to pre-term babies.
It is a well-documented fact that gum disease is indirectly linked to coronary artery disease, stroke, kidney disease and obstetric complications.
And since the third molars are a reservoir of bacteria due to their crooked position in the mouth, dentists advise that early removal reduces the risk of developing potentially serious infections in later life.