Wisdom Teeth

Between the ages of 17 and 21 is the appearance of your third molars, also known as Wisdom Teeth. They are called this because they come through at a more mature age.

When they come through correctly, healthy wisdom teeth can help you chew, but if you have pain, see your dentist immediately.

Wisdom teeth can lead to problems if there isn’t enough space for them or if they come through in the wrong position. If your wisdom teeth are impacted, this means they are trapped in your jaw or under your gums.

As your wisdom teeth make their way through your gums, your dentist will be monitoring your mouth for signs of the following:

• Wisdom teeth that aren’t in the right position.
• Wisdom teeth that haven’t come in properly.
• Wisdom teeth that have partially come through can give bacteria a place to enter the gums and create a place for infection to occur.
• Wisdom teeth that don’t have room to come through.
• A wisdom tooth that is impacted can form a cyst on or near the impacted tooth. This could damage the roots of nearby teeth or destroy the bone that supports your teeth.

Your wisdom teeth may need to be removed when there is:

• Pain
• Infection
• Cysts
• Tumors
• Damage to neighboring teeth
• Gum disease
• Tooth decay (if it is not possible or desirable to restore the tooth)

We may also recommend removing wisdom teeth as part of treatment for braces or other dental care.