The Wisdom of Keeping Your Wisdom Teeth

Wisdom teeth, also known as the third molars, are called so because they usually come out when people are in their late teens or early twenties, when people are supposedly wiser.  They’re just like all the other teeth but it just so happens they tend to come out later. Most adults have four wisdom teeth, but it’s entirely possible to have more, fewer, or none at all.

When the wisdom teeth grow properly, it can be left alone as it is. Many dentists say it’s best to keep most of the teeth and avoid the risks of anesthesia and surgery.  However in many cases, wisdom teeth doesn’t grow properly for one reason or another.  Sometimes the jaw simply isn’t large enough to accommodate them, so they’re not able to break through the gum line properly. It might be that the tooth is growing at an angle and can’t properly come out.  In these cases, it usually affects the other molar besides it resulting causing it to shift.  Impacted wisdom teeth can cause swelling, pain, and infection of the gum tissue surrounding the area.

Extraction of a wisdom tooth is usually like removing any other type of teeth but the level of ease depends on the position of the tooth and how far along it’s developed. A wisdom tooth that’s impacted usually takes a little longer to extract.   Some general dentists are able to remove a wisdom tooth without any problems.  However if the procedure is a more complicated delicate matter, it’s usually an oral surgeon that does the job.