Oftentimes, patients’ mouths and jaws simply aren’t large enough for their wisdom teeth to grow in properly. This is called impaction, when the wisdom tooth fails to erupt, partially erupts, or even grows at an angle so that eruption is impossible.

If you avoid getting your impacted wisdom teeth removed, they can cause jawbone damage, nerve damage, infection, and other side effects. It’s best to receive treatment for an impacted wisdom tooth through oral surgery so they don’t affect your other teeth in the future.