What happens if you wait too long to get wisdom teeth out? Even though most extractions don't require immediate action, waiting too long to extract a tooth can lead to infection, orthodontic problems, and abscesses. ... When wisdom teeth begin to emerge, they often come in sideways or crowd existing teeth. They can become impacted into the gum tissue and lead to infection, too. What happens if you don't remove your wisdom teeth? If you don't have your wisdom teeth removed, a partially erupted wisdom tooth can lead to bacterial infection called pericoronitis. Meanwhile, a wisdom tooth that doesn't erupt can lead to the development of a cyst which can damage bone and gum tissue. Wisdom teeth are also often removed because they come in crooked