The wisdom teeth are the final teeth in your mouth to erupt. The teeth are the third molars and are located behind your other teeth, in the rear of the mouth.
Instead of the wisdom teeth erupting while you are still in grade school, as many of the other permanent teeth do, they tend to appear in the mouth during the teen or young adult years. In fact, when the wisdom teeth first start to break through the gums, you may be surprised to feel discomfort from the emerging teeth.
If your wisdom teeth have fully or partially erupted, you may be wondering whether or not you will eventually need to have them extracted. Here are a few indications that your wisdom teeth need to be removed.
You experience pain in the back of your mouth when you chew.
Pain in the rear of your mouth as you chew is not normal. It may be due to the orientation of a wisdom tooth or to gum inflammation.
A wisdom tooth sometimes initially erupts only partially, leaving a portion of the tooth covered by a flap of gum tissue. The flap of tissue can trap plaque and bits of food between the tooth and the gums. Over time, the oral bacteria in the plaque can start to cause gum inflammation.
The inflammation can cause the gums to swell, bleed, and become increasingly uncomfortable. However, the condition of the gums may improve if the debris beneath the flap of gums is fully cleaned away.
Nevertheless, the gum inflammation may continue to return as long as the wisdom tooth is only partially erupted. To solve the situation, the wisdom tooth removal may be prescribed.
You notice that your teeth seem to be crowding.
If a wisdom tooth starts to present but there is too little room in your oral cavity for the additional tooth, the other teeth in your mouth may shift from the added pressure of the erupting wisdom tooth. The pressure may eventually force the other teeth noticeably out of alignment.
If your dentist x-rays your mouth and determines that the size of your oral cavity is too small to accommodate the wisdom teeth, he or she will likely suggest that the wisdom teeth be extracted. It is best to have the extraction performed before the alignment of the other teeth is significantly affected.
For more information about wisdom teeth and when they should be removed, schedule a consultation with a dentist in your area.
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