Abstract:

Technically speaking, with advances in alveolar surgical techniques, almost all impacted teeth can be extracted. However, there is a trend in recent years that many practitioners of alveolar surgery are aggressive and fanatical about the extraction of impacted teeth. It seems that all impacted teeth should be extracted, and that the competence of the alveolar surgeon can only be reflected in the difficulty of the impacted tooth removal. Indications for the extraction of an impacted tooth, especially for the prophylactic extraction, are often overlooked. In this article, we reviewed the evidence on the indications for the extraction of impacted teeth in recent years, and discussed the "do′s and don′ts" in impacted tooth removal, from the perspectives of the health of both the adjacent teeth, and the maxillomandibular system, the value of retaining impacted teeth, and the shift in the demand for dental implant. Together with the clinical experience of the authors, it is expected to provide some reference for the alveolar surgeons.

Key words: Tooth, impacted, Molar, third, Alveolar surgery, Exodontia, Operation indication