Cavities - do they need to be removed?

[dentalquestions]

My wisdom teeth have cavities, but are otherwise normal (no impaction, plenty of space, bite is good). How do I decide if they should be removed?

More info: one of my upper wisdom teeth was removed a few years ago because the decay was very bad. Now the other upper wisdom tooth has a visibly large hole, and the bottom two have cavities as well (I'm not sure how bad though). My teeth are prone to cavities and I've had over 12 fillings done, many are deep. Recently, I had a filling done for the tooth in front of my bottom wisdom tooth. I've had a bunch of fillings, but that was my first cavity at the bottom.

I didn't used to floss, but I have been very diligently for over a year now and will continue to.

I'm 23. I mostly feel bad about removing them because the teeth at the top of my mouth feel so messed up and uncomfortable, I want to save what I can. I wonder how much they really impact my other teeth now that I'm flossing, or if I should even bother keeping them.

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[Angeldove]

You don't need wisdom teeth - get them removed before the cavities get too deep and cause an infection in your bones/gums.