Wisdom teeth are a set of molars that the person gets when they are in their late teenage years or early adulthood. The emergence of the wisdom teeth can cause some pain, but otherwise can be a normal addition to the teeth without causing problems. Not everyone has all four wisdom teeth.
Unfortunately, the wisdom teeth are misaligned and need to be removed in most cases. A wisdom tooth that is misaligned can come in pointing outward or inward, be almost horizontal, or point away from or towards the other molars.
Some wisdom teeth do not cut through the gums normally. The tooth may remain completely or partially entrapped in the jawbone or soft tissue. Wisdom teeth that do not emerge normally, but remain at least partially trapped are said to be impacted.
Impacted wisdom teeth can cause complications such as the formation of a cyst or infection. If a wisdom tooth partially breaks through the gums, the partial eruption of the gums can allow bacteria to enter the tissue. This can lead to infection. In some cases, the bone, other teeth, or nerves may be damaged by impacted or partially impacted wisdom teeth.
Allowing misaligned wisdom teeth to remain in the mouth can push other teeth out of alignment and cause dental problems. A misaligned wisdom tooth can damage the molar next to it. Alignment problems can have a negative impact on bite, cause abnormal wear on the teeth, and lead to poor gum health.
Often by looking at the x-ray of the teeth, the dentist may recommend wisdom teeth removal before the wisdom teeth have erupted through the gums or caused problems. This early wisdom teeth removal before problems is to help prevent problems.
The extraction of wisdom teeth is a very common procedure. Local anesthesia and sedating medication is used for the dental removal. Complete healing from wisdom teeth removal can take several weeks or months.
Most problems with wisdom teeth occur when the person is between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five. If a person is thirty years old or older, the chances of the wisdom teeth causing problems are rare. Therefore, if the person who is thirty years old or older has not had the wisdom teeth removed and has not had problems, the person may never need them to be removed.
