When there are unerupted or partially erupted wisdom teeth in children, first the position of the tooth is evaluated to determine if there is a possibility for it to properly align in the dental arch. Often, orthodontists are involved in this decision, as it is not uncommon for the tooth to remain impacted due to underdeveloped jaw or lack of space for eruption.
If tooth extraction is part of orthodontic treatment, the decision of when to extract the tooth is made by the orthodontist. Typically, this is between the ages of 13 and 16, when the extraction is simpler and the child is cooperative enough.