{"id":199,"date":"2026-05-06T17:53:12","date_gmt":"2026-05-06T17:53:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hicdental.com\/blog\/?p=199"},"modified":"2026-05-06T17:53:13","modified_gmt":"2026-05-06T17:53:13","slug":"wisdom-teeth-growing-sideways","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hicdental.com\/blog\/wisdom-teeth-growing-sideways\/","title":{"rendered":"What Can Cause Your Wisdom Teeth to Grow Sideways?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hicdental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AdobeStock_50961743.jpg\" alt=\"Illustration of wisdom tooth in lower jaw growing sideways\" class=\"wp-image-200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hicdental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AdobeStock_50961743.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hicdental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AdobeStock_50961743-225x300.jpg 225w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>While it&#8217;s possible for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hicdental.com\/wisdom-teeth-removal.html\">wisdom teeth<\/a> to come in without any major issues, oftentimes they fail to erupt properly. In some cases, they may even end up growing horizontally, causing them to put pressure on your other teeth. What exactly causes wisdom teeth to start growing sideways? Why can this end up being a serious problem? And what can you do to protect your oral health?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What are Wisdom Teeth?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The wisdom teeth are a third set of molars that are located at the back of the mouth. They usually start to erupt between the ages of 17 and 25, long after all of the other teeth have already come in. The majority of people have four wisdom teeth, but certain individuals may have three or fewer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why Do Wisdom Teeth Sometimes Grow Sideways?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Because wisdom teeth come in so much later than the rest of your adult teeth, there often isn\u2019t enough room for them in the mouth. This can cause them to become impacted, meaning they are unable to fully emerge from beneath the gums. Without the space they require, the wisdom teeth can end up growing sideways or at an angle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why Is It an Issue If Your Wisdom Teeth Grow Sideways?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Wisdom teeth that grow sideways can lead to the following complications:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>They can end up damaging your other teeth and pushing them out of their proper alignment.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>They can cause significant pain.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>They can lead to inflammation of the gums, which can ultimately lead to an infection known as pericoronitis.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>They can cause a cyst to form, resulting in further discomfort as well as damage to the jawbone.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>If they manage to at least partially emerge from beneath the gums, they can be difficult to brush properly, thus putting you at a higher risk for cavities.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Should You Do About Sideways Wisdom Teeth?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If your dentist discovers that your wisdom teeth are growing sideways, they will most likely recommend having them extracted as soon as possible. This is typically a necessary step for putting a stop to your pain and preventing further oral health issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Note that if your wisdom teeth are trapped under the gums, they will need to be removed via a surgical procedure. This involves making a small incision in the gum tissue so that the dental team can access the tooth that requires extraction. In some cases, it may be best to divide the wisdom teeth into sections that can be taken out one at a time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In short, sideways wisdom teeth can often be a serious threat to your oral health, and it\u2019s in your best interest to have them removed before they have a chance to cause even more dire problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">About the Author<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Dr. Hiren Patel went to the Government Dental College &amp; Hospital in Ahmedabad, India, and he graduated from the University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine. He has completed more than 500 hours of continuing education and belongs to a number of professional organizations, including the San Antonio District Dental Society. At HIC Dental \u2013 Implant &amp; Family Dentistry in San Antonio, he has helped many patients with their problematic wisdom teeth. If you think you may need a wisdom tooth extraction, you can schedule a visit with Dr. Patel by visiting his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hicdental.com\/request-an-appointment.html\">website<\/a> or calling (210) 590-2736.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>While it&#8217;s possible for wisdom teeth to come in without any major issues, oftentimes they fail to erupt properly. In some cases, they may even end up growing horizontally, causing them to put pressure on your other teeth. What exactly causes wisdom teeth to start growing sideways? Why can this end up being a serious [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-199","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Sideways Wisdom Teeth San Antonio | HIC Dental - Implant &amp; Family Dentistry<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In certain circumstances, your wisdom teeth may end up growing horizontally. Why does this happen, and why is it an issue?\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hicdental.com\/blog\/wisdom-teeth-growing-sideways\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Sideways Wisdom Teeth San Antonio | HIC Dental - Implant &amp; Family Dentistry\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In certain circumstances, your wisdom teeth may end up growing horizontally. Why does this happen, and why is it an issue?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.hicdental.com\/blog\/wisdom-teeth-growing-sideways\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"HIC Dental-Implant &amp; Family Dentistry\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-06T17:53:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-05-06T17:53:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.hicdental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AdobeStock_50961743.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"300\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"400\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"hirenpatel\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"hirenpatel\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hicdental.com\\\/blog\\\/wisdom-teeth-growing-sideways\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hicdental.com\\\/blog\\\/wisdom-teeth-growing-sideways\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"hirenpatel\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hicdental.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4eb2fcf16120c78bbc64c96342a7b945\"},\"headline\":\"What Can Cause Your Wisdom Teeth to Grow Sideways?\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-06T17:53:12+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-06T17:53:13+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hicdental.com\\\/blog\\\/wisdom-teeth-growing-sideways\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":561,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hicdental.com\\\/blog\\\/wisdom-teeth-growing-sideways\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hicdental.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/AdobeStock_50961743.jpg\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hicdental.com\\\/blog\\\/wisdom-teeth-growing-sideways\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hicdental.com\\\/blog\\\/wisdom-teeth-growing-sideways\\\/\",\"name\":\"Sideways Wisdom Teeth San Antonio | HIC Dental - Implant & Family Dentistry\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hicdental.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hicdental.com\\\/blog\\\/wisdom-teeth-growing-sideways\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hicdental.com\\\/blog\\\/wisdom-teeth-growing-sideways\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hicdental.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/AdobeStock_50961743.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-06T17:53:12+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-06T17:53:13+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hicdental.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4eb2fcf16120c78bbc64c96342a7b945\"},\"description\":\"In certain circumstances, your wisdom teeth may end up growing horizontally. Why does this happen, and why is it an issue?\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hicdental.com\\\/blog\\\/wisdom-teeth-growing-sideways\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hicdental.com\\\/blog\\\/wisdom-teeth-growing-sideways\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hicdental.com\\\/blog\\\/wisdom-teeth-growing-sideways\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hicdental.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/AdobeStock_50961743.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hicdental.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/AdobeStock_50961743.jpg\",\"width\":300,\"height\":400},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hicdental.com\\\/blog\\\/wisdom-teeth-growing-sideways\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hicdental.com\\\/blog\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"What Can Cause Your Wisdom Teeth to Grow Sideways?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hicdental.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hicdental.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"HIC Dental-Implant &amp; Family Dentistry\",\"description\":\"\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hicdental.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4eb2fcf16120c78bbc64c96342a7b945\",\"name\":\"hirenpatel\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hicdental.com\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/hirenpatel\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Sideways Wisdom Teeth San Antonio | HIC Dental - Implant & Family Dentistry","description":"In certain circumstances, your wisdom teeth may end up growing horizontally. Why does this happen, and why is it an issue?","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.hicdental.com\/blog\/wisdom-teeth-growing-sideways\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Sideways Wisdom Teeth San Antonio | HIC Dental - Implant & Family Dentistry","og_description":"In certain circumstances, your wisdom teeth may end up growing horizontally. Why does this happen, and why is it an issue?","og_url":"https:\/\/www.hicdental.com\/blog\/wisdom-teeth-growing-sideways\/","og_site_name":"HIC Dental-Implant &amp; Family Dentistry","article_published_time":"2026-05-06T17:53:12+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-05-06T17:53:13+00:00","og_image":[{"width":300,"height":400,"url":"https:\/\/www.hicdental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AdobeStock_50961743.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"hirenpatel","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"hirenpatel","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.hicdental.com\/blog\/wisdom-teeth-growing-sideways\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hicdental.com\/blog\/wisdom-teeth-growing-sideways\/"},"author":{"name":"hirenpatel","@id":"https:\/\/www.hicdental.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/4eb2fcf16120c78bbc64c96342a7b945"},"headline":"What Can Cause Your Wisdom Teeth to Grow Sideways?","datePublished":"2026-05-06T17:53:12+00:00","dateModified":"2026-05-06T17:53:13+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hicdental.com\/blog\/wisdom-teeth-growing-sideways\/"},"wordCount":561,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hicdental.com\/blog\/wisdom-teeth-growing-sideways\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.hicdental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AdobeStock_50961743.jpg","inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.hicdental.com\/blog\/wisdom-teeth-growing-sideways\/","url":"https:\/\/www.hicdental.com\/blog\/wisdom-teeth-growing-sideways\/","name":"Sideways Wisdom Teeth San Antonio | HIC Dental - Implant & Family Dentistry","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hicdental.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hicdental.com\/blog\/wisdom-teeth-growing-sideways\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hicdental.com\/blog\/wisdom-teeth-growing-sideways\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.hicdental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AdobeStock_50961743.jpg","datePublished":"2026-05-06T17:53:12+00:00","dateModified":"2026-05-06T17:53:13+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hicdental.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/4eb2fcf16120c78bbc64c96342a7b945"},"description":"In certain circumstances, your wisdom teeth may end up growing horizontally. Why does this happen, and why is it an issue?","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hicdental.com\/blog\/wisdom-teeth-growing-sideways\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.hicdental.com\/blog\/wisdom-teeth-growing-sideways\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.hicdental.com\/blog\/wisdom-teeth-growing-sideways\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.hicdental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AdobeStock_50961743.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.hicdental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AdobeStock_50961743.jpg","width":300,"height":400},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.hicdental.com\/blog\/wisdom-teeth-growing-sideways\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.hicdental.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"What Can Cause Your Wisdom Teeth to Grow Sideways?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.hicdental.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.hicdental.com\/blog\/","name":"HIC Dental-Implant &amp; Family Dentistry","description":"","inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.hicdental.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/4eb2fcf16120c78bbc64c96342a7b945","name":"hirenpatel","url":"https:\/\/www.hicdental.com\/blog\/author\/hirenpatel\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hicdental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/199","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hicdental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hicdental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hicdental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hicdental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=199"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.hicdental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/199\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":201,"href":"https:\/\/www.hicdental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/199\/revisions\/201"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hicdental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=199"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hicdental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=199"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hicdental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=199"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}