Wisdom Teeth

Wisdom teeth typically grow in while we are between the ages of 16 and 20, after the tooth fairy has exchanged our baby teeth for our permanent ones and our first and second molars have developed. It is also at this age that we pass into adulthood, or into what some people call the "age of budding wisdom." Since the third molars appear at this age, they are known as wisdom teeth.

Scientists believe that wisdom teeth are left over from prehistoric humans who had larger jaws and coarser food to chew. While wisdom teeth are not really necessary anymore, they can still be useful as long as they align properly and have healthy gum tissue surrounding them.

The problem with wisdom teeth is that most modern day humans do not have jaws big enough to accommodate these third molars, which make for a total of 32 teeth. The result? Developing wisdom teeth are often blocked by another tooth and become impacted, meaning they are unable to erupt through the gum properly. Those that do erupt may interfere with the bite or an adjacent tooth. In either case, wisdom teeth can cause pain and other dental problems that frequently lead dentists to recommend they be pulled out, and that is often a wise decision.

Resources:

Learn more about impacted wisdom teeth and their extraction.

Is it always best to have wisdom teeth removed?

June 21, 2003