Why Should I Remove My Wisdom Teeth?
By age eighteen, the average adult has thirty-two teeth. The average mouth, however, is made to hold only twenty-eight teeth. This presents a problem!
It can be uncomfortable and even painful when 32 teeth try to squeeze in a mouth with space for only 28. These 4 extra teeth are Third Molars, also called “wisdom teeth.” The term “wisdom teeth” arose because these molars generally appear much later than other teeth – at an age when people are hopefully wiser than they were as a child.
Each tooth in the mouth has a specific function. Incisors, canine and bicuspid teeth lie in the front of the mouth, and serve to grasp and bite food. The back teeth, or molars, grind and chew food so that it is suitable for swallowing. Wisdom teeth, however, are often described as a “vestigial trait,” or an anatomical structure in an organism which is considered to have lost much or all of its original function through evolution.
Because wisdom teeth are the last to erupt within the mouth, problems often occur because of overcrowding. The extraction of wisdom teeth is necessary when they do not erupt properly. They might emerge only partially from the gum, allowing food and bacteria to collect and causing a local infection which could spread to the cheek and neck. They may also grow sideways, pushing against other teeth, or remain impacted, increasing the risk of decay in that tooth, adjacent teeth and surrounding supportive structures. The most serious problem occurs when cysts or tumors form around impacted wisdom teeth and cause the destruction of other teeth or the jaw. Early removal is the best way to avoid these problems.