Reviewed by: Dr. Kristen Dority
Also known as the third molars, wisdom teeth that appear around age 18 are the most abnormal of all teeth. Wisdom teeth can be large or very small, can have normal or fused roots, and can erupt normally or be impacted. Wisdom teeth can be completely absent as well.
When they are healthy and properly positioned, a third set of molars are assets to the mouth and the chewing process. However since wisdom teeth are the last set of molars to come in, when the jaw isn’t large enough to accommodate them they can grow in sideways or emerge only part way through the gum.
Dentists generally recommend extracting partially erupted wisdom teeth or those that come in misaligned. Removing wisdom teeth can be complicated by the proximity of the roots of the teeth to the sinus. Additionally roots of teeth lie near or can even be in contact with the inferior alveolar nerve that supplies feeling to the lip, teeth and tongue on each side of the mouth. Rarely is there any permanent damage to the nerve, but if it is bumped or bruised during the extraction, six months to one year’s healing time may be needed before normal sensation returns.
The wisdom teeth must be removed if they are exposed to the oral cavity (they will eventually cause caries or pocketing of the gum). Removal is not necessary if gum on top of wisdom teeth is intact.
