You have suffered a cracked wisdom tooth. What does that mean? If you were superstitious, you would probably say that it means that you are less wise than you used to be. Of course, if you are more pragmatic, you would realize that you have a dental emergency, and that you need to go to the dentist right away. Here are some other bits of cracked wisdom regarding dental emergencies and your wisdom teeth.

If You Remove a Broken Wisdom Tooth, You Have to Remove All of Them

Some people actually think that you have to remove all of your wisdom teeth when only one of them is damaged. That is simply not so. While your bite may remain a tad lopsided after the first wisdom tooth is pulled, the rest of your wisdom teeth may remain. The important thing here is that you respond to the major issue at hand: the damaged tooth. Removing it removes any chance of rot, infection, and/or abscess. As long as the rest of your wisdom teeth are in good health and not causing problems, they can stay. Now that is wise.

You Are More Likely to Experience a Second Dental Emergency with Another Wisdom Tooth

Again, this is not true. Wisdom teeth, like any of the other teeth you have, are prone to the same problems. Any of them can be broken by blunt force trauma, and any of them can get cavities. Removing one damaged wisdom tooth does not result in subsequent visits to the dentist for dental emergencies with your other wisdom teeth. If something feels off with your other wisdom teeth, you are in a perfect position to ask your dentist to take a look while he/she is addressing the broken wisdom tooth that you are removing.

You Will Lose the Ability to Chew Properly

This is only true sometimes. Most people who have lost one or two wisdom teeth do not experience chewing problems afterward. Conversely, people who have all of their wisdom teeth may end up chewing the insides of their cheeks when they chew, or biting their lips and tongue because their wisdom teeth are already "off." In the case of a dental emergency with a wisdom tooth, your dentist will remove the tooth and plug the hole in your jaw with gauze. After it heals, if you experience an awkward rolling of your jaw, your dentist will assess you to see if the missing molar has affected your bite.

For more information on this and other dental emergencies, contact your dentist as soon as possible.