Wisdom Teeth :: Dinesh Dental Care Clinic, New Delhi, India :: Dental Knowledge Base Indian Dentists Dental Care

Understanding Wisdom Teeth

Wisdom teeth are your third molars and they are the last teeth to come in. They take years to develop and may not emerge until your late teens or early twenties, if they erupt at all. With many people there is not enough room in their mouths for these teeth because our jaws are smaller than those of early humans. They needed large jaws and more teeth for their tougher diet. We can live without that extra chewing power any more.

Most people have four wisdom teeth, in each corner of the mouth. At about age nine, the crowns of the teeth begin to form. The roots begin to grow into the soft, developing bone. By your late teens the crowns often begin to erupt and the roots continue to lengthen in the jawbone, which is almost adult size and density. By your early twenties, the crowns have emerged, if they are going to. Roots are completely formed. By the time you’re in your forties the roots of your wisdom teeth are solidly anchored to the dense jawbone.

Unfortunately, because our jaws tend to be too small, many people’s wisdom teeth become impacted, or trapped in the jawbone and gums. If they are impacted, you may not even know you have wisdom teeth until pain suddenly strikes because of infection or pressure on an adjacent tooth. Your wisdom teeth may partially erupt and cause crowding or shifting of your teeth or bite. Whether you have obvious symptoms or not, you can rely on your dentist’s expertise to diagnose existing or potential problems caused by your wisdom teeth.

When there isn’t enough room in your jawbone for the wisdom teeth to grow properly, they may create various problems. Impacted teeth may grow at an angle toward or away from your other teeth. This can crowd adjacent teeth causing them to become crooked or even damaging them structurally. It may also result in the roots becoming misshapen or growing dangerously close to a sinus cavity or to the nerve located in your lower jaw. A cyst can form when the sac that holds the crown fills with fluid, destroying surrounding bone. When there is an incomplete eruption of the wisdom teeth, an infection or irritation of the nearby tissue may occur.

With evidence of any of these problems or the potential of them, your dentist may recommend removal of these teeth or other treatment options. Removal is the most frequently recommended treatment and the earlier this is done, the easier the removal. Once the roots lengthen and the jawbones become denser, removal becomes more difficult and the odds of risks and complications are higher. If surgery would be unwise, then your dentist may just closely watch the situation if changes haven’t occurred yet in your mouth, or recommend medications or minor surgery to deal with problems.

If surgery is selected, it may be done in your dentist’s office or with an oral surgeon may or may not be used, but you will be given detailed instructions to prepare for the surgery. You will need someone to drive you home after the surgery and plan to rest the remainder of the day. There will be some pain and swelling as the healing process begins. Pain medicine and ice packs will help in the days following surgery. Removal of wisdom teeth is a common procedure and usually takes no more than an hour or two.