What Are Wisdom Teeth?
Wisdom Teeth Are the Third Set of Molars
Wisdom teeth usually “announce” their arrival at an inopportune time. For the majority of people, wisdom teeth emerge around the time that real wisdom is needed the most… the latter part of high school and/or those college or first-real-job years.
Over the years, dentists have wavered, but, generally concurred that as soon as wisdom teeth emerge, they should be removed as soon as possible. The rationale behind this thinking is that the wisdom teeth, which are technically third molars, often are misaligned (crooked) and/or impacted (fully or partially within the gum line). This is problematic once all permanent teeth are in and the jaw has stopped growing, which generally occurs by the late teen years. Often the emergence of wisdom teeth may cause an infection. In fact, perfectly aligned teeth, either by luck or from undergoing an orthodontic regimen, may start to shift quickly if wisdom teeth are allowed to fully emerge. If you are interested in learning more about wisdom teeth you should have a chat with your dentist. The dentist will be able to answer all of your wisdom teeth related questions as well as any other questions about dental health. You should schedule a consultation with a dentist today. For additional questions about dental health visit the dental health questions blog.
95% of American 18 year olds have wisdom teeth
What Are Wisdom Teeth?
We arrive into the world toothless, then along comes the baby teeth around six months of age. You may not remember, unless you had a very generous Tooth Fairy, but, one by one as those baby teeth fell out, gradually your permanent teeth came in, and, by the time you were a teen, those permanent teeth were in place. But wait, there are a third set of teeth that you are entitled to - perhaps you have already endured the travails of wisdom teeth or maybe you are too young yet?
Wisdom teeth are our third set of molars. They are located at the rear of your other teeth, top and bottom, so there are four wisdom teeth in all. Think of your molars as “chomping” teeth. They help you to grind up your food and they work very hard, but, not as hard as those extra molars did for our ancestors. It is believed that in those caveman days that early humans needed an extra row of teeth to chew their food, a diet that consisted of hard items like roots, nuts, and hunks of meat. As our bodies and mouths have evolved since those early years, so has our diet, and we no longer need to have that extra set of heavy-duty teeth. Besides, now our jawbone structure will simply not accommodate all those large molars.
Do They Stay or Do They Go?
As to wisdom teeth, there has been controversy for years. In the end, it comes down to, how your mouth is structured and how the arrival of these new teeth will affect your existing permanent teeth.
Why Do We Have Wisdom Teeth?
It is estimated that 95 percent of American 18-year-olds have wisdom teeth, and, sadly, few will ever experience them functioning in a normal, working manner. A very small percentage of young adults have wisdom teeth that come in perfectly, not disrupting or crowding existing permanent teeth. But, for the rest of the young adults, those wisdom teeth are vulnerable to disease, and must be removed quickly to protect a healthy mouth and preserve the alignment of the teeth. Because there is no space to accommodate the wisdom teeth, they can grow sideways, or just partially emerge from the gums (“partially impacted wisdom teeth”), or, even worse, get trapped within the gums and jawbone (“impacted wisdom teeth”). As soon as wisdom teeth emergence can be detected (usually with the tongue or even rubbing the finger along the back of the gum) a visit to the dentist is in order. Sometimes, just before wisdom teeth emerge, a routine dental visit where x-rays are taken, may confirm they are “on the way” and your dentist will usually recommend a consultation with an oral and maxillofacial surgeon, unless your dentist determines that these new teeth will not be destructive to your existing teeth.
Wisdom Teeth Extraction
Extracting wisdom teeth, especially if they are impacted, requires the skills of an oral and maxillofacial surgeon. This is a dental practitioner, whose highly specialized practice involves the treating of injuries and defects in the head, neck, face, jaws and the hard and soft tissues of the oral (mouth) and maxillofacial (jaws and face) region. Some dental practitioners believe that it is wise to keep the wisdom teeth and thus avoid the risks of anesthesia and surgery. However, if the tooth impaction is severe enough, there could be genuine risks ranging from infections to nerve damage – in fact about two-thirds of the time, there are issues as a result of the extraction. In some cases, patients may develop an infection, hard-to-control bleeding, air pockets, or even the permanent loss of feeling in the lips and tongue. If this last statement has you leaning toward keeping all, or some, of your wisdom teeth, you and your dentist need to be diligent about following up on regular exams and x-rays to avoid an even more complicated wisdom teeth extraction surgery in the future.
In summary, it is best, upon the emergence of wisdom teeth, that you BE WISE and discuss all options, ranging from extraction to routine monitoring, with your trusted regular dental practitioner.