Wisdom teeth or Third Molars are the last teeth to erupt in the oral cavity and probably the ones which cause the most discomfort. The normal age for eruption of wisdom teeth is 18-25 years. If they don't fully erupt within this time period, there are a lot of chances that they are never gonna fully come out.
With passing years, evolution and change in our dietary habits, the size of our jaws has decreased, hence they are unable to accommodate the third molars. As a result, the third molars often erupt partially, tilted, rotated or do not erupt at all (stay impacted). But this doesn't mean that unerupted teeth do not cause any problems. Impacted wisdom teeth often lead to caries and infection in adjacent second molars and disturb the occlusion (relation of upper and lower teeth). On the other hand, partially erupted third molars cause recurrent episodes of PERICORONITIS causing pain which also radiates to ear and head, infection because of improper cleaning and food accumulation around swollen gums, bad breath, caries and swelling in the jaw.
If you're suffering from these symptoms, consult your dentist immediately who can then decide whether to remove it or not. Rinsing your mouth with warm salt water or beta-dine solution also helps.
The ultimate solution is to get these teeth extracted in time to avoid all these long term complications. Removal of impacted or partially erupted wisdom teeth does not have any effect on our chewing. It avoids unnecessary problem to adjacent teeth. It's a chair side minor surgical procedure performed under local anesthesia with no dire side effects.
So spare yourself the pain and act WISELY!