Wisdom teeth - Wisdom Teeth

Wisdom teeth
Internet and Educational Services for Local Dentists

"Wisdom teeth" or third molar teeth are due to start coming into the mouth as youth moves to adulthood.
(The beginning of wisdom or the end of it!) wisdom teeth

When should wisdom teeth grow?
What problems do wisdom teeth cause?
How do I know if my wisdom teeth need to be removed?
How does the dentist know my wisdom teeth need to be removed?
What age should I be when my wisdom teeth are removed?
How will my wisdom teeth be removed?
Are there risks with removing wisdom teeth?
What can I expect after wisdom teeth are removed?
What should I do after my wisdom teeth are removed?

About Wisdom teeth
Wisdom teeth are the third of the molar series of teeth to grow in your mouth (the first molars grow when you are about 6 years and the second molars grow when you are about 12 years old). They are included to make up the full complement of 32 teeth that would typically be present in your mouth as an adult. You have generally have one wisdom tooth is each back corner of your mouth so there is four wisdom teeth in total.

Wisdom teeth are one of the more common missing teeth. Although you may not have wisdom teeth erupted into your mouth you can't really tell if they are actually missing from your jaw bones unless you have a radiograph. The radiograph or x-ray will show whether the tooth is actually missing or just remaining within the jaw bones.

Typically wisdom teeth start to erupt, or grow into the mouth, in people aged between 16 years to 26 year olds. They derive their name "wisdom teeth" from this being the time of the "getting of wisdom" as you progress from "youth" to "adulthood".

Why do wisdom teeth have such a "bad" name?
When baby's teeth start to erupt, or grow into the mouth, this is often accompanied by distress and a decrease immune response leading to the child being considered " disagreeable" by the parents ( of course there are exceptions and I'm sure this didn't apply to you!). Most people have no recall of this stage. When the adult teeth erupt children seem to cope really well but there is often a gap of 6 years between the second molars and the wisdom teeth. Often young adults feel the discomfort of these teeth moving through bones and gums into the mouth. Additionally because the wisdom teeth are positioned in an awkward place at the back of the mouth they can be difficult the clean and the gums in this area can become infected.
See problems wisdom teeth cause.