Everything You Need to Know About Your Wisdom Teeth

Wisdom teeth – everyone has heard of these, and dread the day that they have to be removed.  However, few people actually know what they are and why they have to be taken out. Have you ever wondered what would happen if you ignored your dentist’s advice and simply let your wisdom teeth keep growing? If so, keep reading to find out.

What actually are wisdom teeth?

Despite the name, wisdom teeth neither make you wise nor help you to become a smarter person. Wisdom teeth are called this because the appearance tends to coincide with the age at which teenagers mature into adults (between the ages of 17 and 25). These teeth are simply a third set of molar teeth, which have an annoying tendency to cause problems when they are growing.

What sort of problems do wisdom teeth cause?

Usually, the problems associated with wisdom teeth are caused by one of two things. Either the teeth don’t grow straight and impact on your other teeth, or the wisdom teeth grow but there isn’t actually enough space in your mouth to accommodate them.

Impacted or crooked wisdom teeth can cause a huge number of problems and a lot of pain, if they aren’t dealt with correctly. Often, they grow directly into your other molars, interfering with them and impacting surrounding nerves, blood vessels, and tissue.

If not removed, then impacted wisdom teeth can cause serious dental problems including:

• Periodontal problems. – inflamed gums, gum disease and painful mouth issues can be caused by wisdom teeth. In extreme cases, the second molars can actually be displaced from their place in the jawbone, exposing them to tooth disease and rot.
• Cyst development – If untreated, submerged wisdom teeth can become cystic, which means surrounded by a fluid filled sac or membrane. This can cause the loss of nearby jawbone and serious infections.
• Pericoronitis – partially erupted wisdom teeth can cause extremely painful inflammations in the surrounding areas, but thankfully this can be easily treated.

Wisdom tooth removal

If your wisdom teeth continually cause problems or pose a dental risk, then your dentist will advise you to have them removed. This is the only real way of preventing potentially serious dental complications and debilitating mouth diseases. Wisdom tooth removal has become an extremely common procedure and although it will cause a little pain in the days following the extraction, it can be done with little to no risk. If you have problematic wisdom teeth, then the benefit of removal thereof, will have many times more benefits than the potential problems.