Somewhere along the way, removing wisdom teeth became automatic, a rite of passage scheduled almost by default. Christopher Sprout, a dentist in Denver, Colorado, takes a more measured view. Some wisdom teeth have to go. Some are fine right where they are.
The right answer, he says, depends on the specific mouth, not on a blanket rule applied to everyone at eighteen.
Sprout’s point is not that wisdom teeth are harmless. It is that the answer depends on the tooth, and that a healthy, cleanable one deserves the same benefit of the doubt as any other.
When they genuinely need to come out
Sprout is not soft on the ones that cause trouble. A wisdom tooth that is impacted, angled into its neighbor, or trapped where it cannot be cleaned is a problem waiting to happen.
Those teeth invite decay, gum infection, and pain, and they can damage the healthy tooth in front of them. When Christopher Sprout sees that picture, removal is the clear call, and often the sooner the better.
Christopher Sprout does not hesitate on these. A tooth actively threatening its neighbor or trapped where infection brews is a problem that only grows with waiting.
When removal is solving a problem that does not exist
The other side is the part that gets skipped. A wisdom tooth that has come in straight, bites correctly, and can be cleaned is a functioning tooth.
Christopher Sprout does not recommend removing a healthy, useful tooth on principle. Surgery has its own risks and recovery, and he weighs those honestly against a tooth that is not causing harm.
Sprout weighs the real risks of surgery against a tooth that is quietly doing its job. Removing a healthy, functional molar to follow a default, he argues, is not automatically the safe choice.
The deciding factor is whether you can clean it
Much of Sprout’s decision comes down to access. A wisdom tooth sits at the very back, and if a patient cannot reach it to brush and floss, it becomes a magnet for decay even when it looks fine today.
So he checks not just how the tooth sits, but whether it can realistically be kept healthy. A tooth that cannot be cleaned is a future problem, straight or not.
Christopher Sprout makes a patient part of that assessment, asking honestly whether they can reach the tooth to keep it clean. A tooth kept spotless is an asset; a tooth that collects plaque at the back of the mouth is a liability in waiting.
If the answer is an honest no, Sprout leans toward removal even on a tooth that looks fine, because a spot that cannot be cleaned is a cavity waiting for a date.
A decision, not a default
Around Denver and the wider state, Christopher Sprout treats wisdom teeth as a case-by-case judgment. He looks at the angle, the room, the bite, and the ability to keep them clean, then makes a recommendation that fits.
Sometimes that means scheduling removal. Sometimes it means watching a tooth that is doing just fine. What it never means, for Sprout, is reaching for surgery because a calendar said so.
Sprout treats each set of wisdom teeth as its own question. The answer might be surgery, and it might be patience, but it is a judgment, not a reflex.
The right call sometimes is surgery, and Christopher Sprout schedules it without hesitation when a tooth has earned it. The rest of the time, a healthy tooth left alone is not a missed opportunity. It is the right answer.