Wisdom teeth are the third set of molars and the last four of your 32 teeth to erupt. They typically erupt between the ages of 17-24. Nowadays wisdom teeth commonly cause issues and are commonly removed to prevent or stop the progression of wisdom teeth symptoms.
Wisdom Teeth Symptoms
Common wisdom teeth symptoms include gum pain, swollen gums, bleeding gums, swelling around the jaw, bad breath, headaches, jaw aches, unpleasant taste when eating, stiffness of the jaw, and swollen lymph node in the neck.
Impacted Wisdom Teeth
When wisdom teeth don’t have enough room to come in correctly, they are considered impacted. Having impacted wisdom teeth is fairly common — 62-75% of people have at least one impacted wisdom tooth. Types include soft tissue impaction, partially bony impaction, and complete bony impaction.
Do I Have to Get My Wisdom Teeth Removed?
If you aren’t in pain and your wisdom teeth aren’t crowding your other teeth, causing tooth decay, or in a position that could cause gum disease, you may not need them removed. If you decide not to get them extracted, have a dentist monitor them to make sure problems don’t develop.
Your dentist will likely recommend wisdom tooth extraction if you are in pain, they grew in the wrong position allowing food to be trapped, their position makes it difficult to properly clean neighboring molars, they are partially erupted and susceptible to infections, they don’t have room to properly grow in, or they have started to crowd or damage neighboring teeth.