Why do we havewisdom teeth?
Adultscan have a maximum of 32 teeth. The wisdom teeth or third molars are the lastto come through, right at the back. They usually appear between the ages of 17and 25. Although sometimes they appear years later.
Nowadayspeople often have jaws that are too small for all 32 teeth-28 is often the mostwe have room for. So if all the other teeth are present and healthy, there maynot be enough space for the wisdom teeth to come through properly.
Wisdomteeth are extracted:
· whenit’s clear that they will not be able to come through into a useful positionbecause there is not enough room, and they are also causing recurrent pain ordiscomfort
· ifthey have only partly come through and are decayed or causing decay to thetooth infront of them- such teeth will often decay as it will be difficult toclean them as thoroughly as your other teeth
Do they always causeproblems?
No.If there is enough room they will usually come through into a useful positionan cause no more problems than any other tooth.
Oftenthere will be some slight discomfort as they come through, but this is onlytemporary and will disappear once the tooth is fully in position.
What is an impactedwisdom tooth?
Ifthere is not enough room, the wisdom tooth may try to come through, but willget stuck against the tooth in front of it. The wisdom tooth will normally beat an angle.
What problems shouldI be prepared for?
Ifpart of the wisdom tooth has appeared through the gum and part of it stillcovered, the gum may become sore and perhaps swollen. Food particles andbacteria can collect under the gum edge, and it will be difficult to clean thearea effectively. This is known