Wisdom Teeth Archives | Williams Family Dentistry

How Great is the Risk of Nerve Damage With Wisdom Tooth Extraction?

Posted on July 8, 2025 by writeradmin.

I am in my mid thirties and have always been nervous about getting my wisdom teeth out. All of them are impacted. Now I’m told I have a small infection on one of them, but the oral surgeon is warning me that it is about one millimeter from a nerve called the inferior something nerve. How much danger is this? Can I just take antibiotics for the infection?

Rose

Dear Rose,

Impacted Wisdom Teeth

We’ll get to the nerve issue in a moment. Let’s start with the antibiotics. That won’t work. Well, it will hold the infection at bay until you can get the wisdom tooth extracted, but as soon as you run out of antibiotics the infection will flare back up again. You’ll have to remove the infected tooth. Given your age, I’m going to recommend that you get all of the wisdom teeth out.

The ideal time to get your wisdom teeth out is your late teens and early twenties. After that the chances of complications go up every five years. If you wait until you hit your forties, there are serious chances of complications. If they are all impacted, it is only a matter of time until the others get infected. You’ll want to extract them before there is a dental emergency and you have less control over the circumstances.

As for the nerve. It’s called the inferior alveolar nerve. Oral surgeons tend to overstate the risks because we live in quite a litigious society. Proclaiming the greatest possible risk reduces the chance of a malpractice lawsuit. A skilled oral surgeon should not have any problem with a nerve that is a full millimeter away. That is a much larger measurement to a dentist than to most people.

In order to hit the nerve, your surgeon would either have to take the tooth out and then drill down another millimeter (a completely mental thing to do) or he’d have to break the tooth and then put downward pressure on the broken tooth fragment. That would be completely contrary to his or her training. Skilled dentists and oral surgeons have taken out wisdom teeth that were literally sitting on the nerve without any issues.

I hope this puts you more at ease. Your safest option is to remove your wisdom teeth now.

This blog is brought to you by Lexington, KY Dentist Dr. James Williams.

Sister Says I Need to Remove the Rest of My Wisdom Teeth

Posted on May 31, 2025 by writeradmin.

I had two lower wisdom teeth removed last year. They were infected and need to be removed. The upper wisdom teeth, while they are in the wrong position and stick out a bit, they were not infected. My sister said it was a mistake not to get them out at the same time. However, they’re not infected, just useless. Was it a mistake to not get them out?

Elena

Dear Elena,

I’m glad you wrote. I agree with your sister. Your dentist did you a disservice by not having you remove all of them at the same time. It would have taken about five extra minutes for him to also remove the other two upper teeth.

While the teeth may appear useless, their real category would be better off being called tiny time bombs. There is always a chance that one of them will get infected. Even if they don’t, then they’re still a problem because they will make it harder to clean your second molars. It just makes a nice handy place for bacteria to get trapped.

You didn’t say how old you are now, but the ideal time to remove wisdom teeth is between the ages of 16 to 25. After that, the risk of complications gets larger with each passing year. You’d definitely want to do it before you are forty. However, if the teeth get infected, then you won’t have a choice but to extract them.

At that point it will be a dental emergency. Believe it or not, people still die from untreated tooth infections every year. Most of the time people avoid dental treatment because they are afraid. However, for wisdom tooth extractions, dental sedation makes it an anxiety-free and pain-free experience.

I would talk to your dentist about getting the other two teeth removed before they are a problem.

This blog is brought to you by Lexington, KY Dentist Dr. James Williams.

Terrified to Get My Wisdom Teeth Out

Posted on September 28, 2024 by writeradmin.

I am 18 years old and my mother wants me to get my wisdom teeth out. I’ve never had a problem with my teeth and have never even had to have a filling. Two of the wisdom teeth are impacted but are not bothering me. Is it really necessary to have these removed? Technically, I’m an adult now even though I still am in my last year of high school so I’m guessing no one can make me do this. I just want to understand why my mother thinks it is so important. She keeps saying not to wait until it is too late and this way she’s paying for it. But, I’m the one living through it. Why is this a big deal? If I’m being honest, I will have to admit I’m terrified of having to have them out. All of my friends who have to have things like root canals and such say it is absolutely miserable.

Tara

Dear Tara,

Let’s start out with the adult thing. You are not technically an adult. You are an adult. The good news for you is that I’m noticing something really positive in the way you are handling this. What you are not doing is saying, “I’m 18 and you can’t make me.” Instead, you are doing something very wise and asking, “Why is this important?”

First, let me alleviate your fear. When you have your wisdom teeth out, you should be getting dental sedation, usually oral conscious sedation. This is a very strong medicine taken by pill that will make dental work much easier on you. In fact, you will be so relaxed and comfortable that you will be more likely sleep through the procedure than anything else. The only downside to this is that you will be a bit loopy. Because of that, you will need someone you trust to drive you to and from the procedure as well as stay with you until you are lucid and steady on your feet. Other than that, it should be smooth sailing.

Why Remove Impacted Wisdom Teeth?

If your wisdom teeth are impacted, at some point they are very likely to develop an infection. So, your next question should be, “Why not wait until that happens?” Great question!

You are currently at the perfect age to have your wisdom teeth extracted. The bone is very pliable and there is hardly any cementum at the roots. As you get older, that changes. With those changes, comes an increased risk for serious complications. By the time you hit 30 your chances double. But, then the risk chances double much faster. I’d say about every 5 years.

While, 30 may seem like a long way away for you now, in reality you will blink and suddenly you’re 30. Life moves much faster after you graduate high school. Plus, each year the bone and cementum change to make the procedure a tiny bit more challenging. Having your wisdom teeth extracted now prevents all of those possibilities.

A second issue is control. If you wait until there is a dental emergency, you have very little control over when you get to go in and make arrangements for everything. Doing it before there is a problem means you have the contol.

You also have the bonus of getting your parents to pay for it. Once you are graduated and out of the house, then you will no longer have that benefit. Take my advice. Use their money and get this done while it is simple.

This blog is brought to you by Lexington, KY Dentist Dr. James E. Williams.

Wisdom Tooth Coming in Brown?

Posted on June 17, 2023 by writeradmin.

I have a wisdom tooth that is erupting brown. I don’t know what is going on. Surely it can’t be decay. It’s just coming in. Do you know what this means? I’ve been told that dental enamel cannot be restored once it is lost. The bottom of my back teeth are brown too, but only the bottom and they have always been that way. I am scheduling an appointment with my dentist but am trying to gather as much information as possible. Any ideas?

Thomas

Dear Thomas,

Impacted Wisdom Teeth

It’s hard to tell from just what you’ve described and not having examined your teeth. However, based on what you have said it sounds like you have defective enamel. While enamel can turn brown if decay has started and then is terminated but, as you said, if it was brown while erupting, it is not likely to be decay.

Because you have discoloration on the bottom of your other teeth as well, it makes me think that you had some health issues while the enamel on your teeth were forming. This would impact your wisdom tooth as well. The bottom is brown on the other teeth which tells me the problem occurred when they were at the end of their formation. That same time would be eactly when the wisdom tooth began forming so it would have more discoloration.

Defective enamel is very susceptible to decay.I recommend being extra attentive with those teeth that have the discoloration. With a wisdom tooth, an extraction is not as serious because it will not require a replacement the way your other back teeth would. Impacted wisdom teeth are extracted all the time.

I am not saying you have to remove it. In fact, you may go your entire life with it not giving you any problems. Just be aware it is more at risk than your other teeth. If decay starts, deal with it immediately so it does not turn into an infection and then you’d need an emergency dental appointment.

This blog is brought to you by Lexington, KY Dentist Dr. John Weaver.

Worried About Having My Wisdom Tooth Extracted

Posted on March 14, 2022 by writeradmin.

I have a wisdom tooth in my jaw that has a pretty good cavity and is partially impacted. My other wisdom teeth are fully impacted but don’t have any problems. My dentist said I need to see an oral surgeon to have it extracted because of my age (I’m 37), which he says puts me at risk. He also mentioned that there is a risk of nerve damage. I’m not a comfortable patient under the best of circumstances, but now I’m terrified of this procedure. Help me understand how serious this is and is there a possibility I can not have the tooth removed at all?

Sienna

Dear Sienna,

I wish these impacted wisdom teeth of yours had been extracted when you were in your late teens to early twenties. At that age, everything is quite pliable and super easy to remove. As you age, the bone gets thicker as the roots fully form. The older you get the more difficult the extraction. I would not wait for the other ones to bother you before having them extracted. It will only get more complicated the longer you wait. As for the one with decay, it does need to come out. You don’t want to wait for an infection to develop, which can turn into a dental emergency.

As for the potential for nerve damage, that is only a real risk if the tooth is impinging on the nerve. Surgeons always tend to overstate the risk because they want to avoid any possibility of a lawsuit if things happen with a nerve beyond their control. Just make sure whomever you see gets some good 3-dimensional x-rays. This way he can work around any nerves.

I did want to address a different type of nerve issue, however. You mentioned you were not the most comfortable of patients. I want to suggest that you see a sedation dentist for any further dental care you need. Having something like oral conscious sedation when you need any work done will greatly improve your feelings toward the dentist. You will finally be able to have anxiety-free/pain-free appointments.

This blog is brought to you by Lexington Dentist Dr. John Weaver.

Anesthesia for Wisdom Tooth Extraction?

Posted on June 23, 2021 by writeradmin.

My 19-year-old son needs one of his wisdom teeth extracted. Apparently, it is under the bone and my dentist asked if we wanted general anesthesia. That surprised me and I wasn’t sure how to answer. I worry about general anesthesia and the complications that can come with that, but I don’t want him in any unnecessary pain either. What is the right course of action? My dentist just says it is up to me.

Franny

Dear Franny,

Based on what you have said, I don’t think your son will need anything more than oral conscious sedation. If your dentist is saying it is up to you, then there does not seem to be any complicating factors to worry about. He is in the ideal age for wisdom tooth removal. At his age, the bone is quite pliable. As we age, cementum accumulates on the roots of the teeth. However, he is far too young for that to be a concern.

I will tell you what does concern me — your dentist. I am worried that he is not comfortable with this extraction and that may be why he is hinting for a stronger means of dealing with this extraction. I don’t think it is fair of him to not give you a real recommendation. That is part of his job as he is the one with the training.

A word about oral conscious sedation. This is still a strong medication. He will likely sleep through the procedure, but when he awakens he will be groggy and not quite lucid. Plan on spending the day with him just to be there in case he needs the restroom. He won’t be too steady on his feet. My advice is to set him up on the couch with his favorite streaming service.

This blog is brought to you by Lexington, KY Dentist Dr. John Weaver.