What, Why and How of Wisdom Teeth
With age comes wisdom and so do wisdom teeth!
What are Wisdom Teeth?
Like our body, our mouth also goes through various stages throughout the life. We develop teeth in stages; incisors are the first one to appear. They are then followed by canines, premolar, molars and finally, during our teens (or maybe in early 20s) a third set of molars gradually starts appearing in our mouth. They are known as “Wisdom Teeth”.
The first thing that generally comes to mind whenever we talk about ‘wisdom teeth’ is pain and discomfort.
While it is not necessary that wisdom teeth cause pain or infections, in majority of people they do.
This when coupled with the fact that wisdom teeth do not play any role in chewing makes many wonder why do we have them?
Why Do Humans Have Wisdom Teeth?
It is believed that wisdom teeth started to appear in our ancestors as a result of the process of evolution. The food choices of our ancestors were greatly different from what we eat today (they used to eat various coarse foods, hard nuts, leaves, raw meat etc), and it is believed that wisdom teeth helped them in eating such foods.
The changes in food preferences and cooking methods over time have made wisdom teeth almost useless.
Why Do People Get Their Wisdom Teeth Extracted?
The reason why a lot of people choose to get their wisdom teeth removed the moment they start appearing is the likelihood of complications they may cause in future. While it is not necessary that wisdom teeth always cause pain, infection or any other complication, it often happens.
What Problems Wisdom Teeth Can Cause?
Wisdom teeth often grow in crooked damaging the neighboring teeth and sometimes, nerve and jaw as well. Another possible complication with wisdom teeth is that they sometimes do not come through the gum possibly because it is misaligned even inside the gums, or they do not get space to erupt. Such type of wisdom tooth is called impacted.
In case of an impacted wisdom tooth, there is possibility of damage to teeth, gums and even jaw line. Also, it can cause various types of infections.
If the impacted wisdom teeth somehow manage to come out of the gum, they only come out partially. In such situation, an opening is formed in the gums providing bacteria a way to enter into the gums and reach the roots of teeth. This could lead to swelling, pain, infection, and many other oral health issues.
How To Know If You Need To Get The Wisdom Tooth Removed?
Paying regular visits to a dentist is recommended for various reasons; indentifying any underlying problems and treating them before they cause serious troubles is only one of the many reasons.
When it comes to wisdom tooth, dentists can identify if they are going to be misaligned or impacted. Do not wait for the pain and other symptoms of wisdom tooth complications. Identifying problems beforehand will save you from the pain and infections. If you are looking for a dentistry for your entire family, look nowhere else than Bischoff Family Dentistry. Located in Peoria, AZ, it is the one stop solution for all oral health concerns of your entire family.
