Wisdom Teeth

Wisdom Teeth

No matter what you may have heard when you were younger, wisdom teeth do NOT make you smarter! Wisdom teeth are simply the last of your permanent teeth to erupt, i.e. appear. The late teen years and into early adulthood is when wisdom teeth typically begin to erupt. Located behind the molars, these teeth are sometimes referred to as the third molars.

You may not notice any pain when wisdom teeth are impacted...or you might have pain of various levels. If these teeth do make an attempt at erupting, your gum might begin to feel swollen and possibly even painful. These attempts sometimes cause pain in the jaw or the surrounding teeth which is another valid reason why these teeth are sometimes extracted.

Infections and tooth decay can commonly occur when a wisdom tooth only partially erupts which is why extraction typically is the preferred alternative in this case. To make matters worse, when wisdom teeth look for routes through which they can erupt, their search can cause other teeth to move out of place in response.

Problems with chewing can also arise when your teeth don't line up properly, and that's yet one more reason why extracting wisdom teeth may be considered necessary by your dentist.

To date there is no known procedure available that can move a wisdom tooth into the correct position so that it erupts where and how it should. Therefore, when it comes to the wisdom teeth, there usually is just one decision to make - whether to extract or not to extract.

An x-ray of the affected area is generally going to be the the most reliable way the dentist has of determining whether extraction of the wisdom teeth is necessary. The x-ray can see below the gums where the naked eye cannot, showing the dentist what is actually occurring and allowing him or her to help you make an informed decision. The x-ray will show the location and positioning of the wisdom tooth and will also show whether or not there is enough room for the wisdom teeth to properly erupt.

Once it has been decided that extraction is required, when and were the procedure takes place will depend on the number of teeth to be extracted and how far below the gum line they are located. The person's overall tolerance to pain and his or her degree of anxiety will also be evaluated. People in the last category may want to look at our page on fear of the dentist.

Sometimes the procedure can easily take place in the dentist's office in about a half an hour or less. At other times, however, it makes more sense to visit a surgeon so that all wisdom teeth can be removed. In this case, the person will be sedated and given a local anesthesia. There likely will be pain after surgery, but it should go away in a few days and can be controlled with standard pain medications.

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