By the age of eighteen, the average adult has 32 teeth; 16 teeth on top and 16 teeth on the bottom.
Each tooth in the mouth has a specific name and function. The teeth in the front of the mouth (incisors, canines and bicuspids) are ideal for grasping and biting food into smaller pieces. The back teeth or molar teeth are used to grind food up into a consistency suitable for swallowing.
It can be painful when 32 teeth try to fit in a mouth that is made to hold only 28. These four other teeth are your third molars, also known as "wisdom teeth."
Why Should I Remove My Wisdom Teeth?
They may grow in sideways, partially emerge from the gum and even remain trapped beneath the gum in the bone. Impacted teeth can end up in various positions in the bone as they attempt to find a pathway that will allow them to erupt successfully.
These poorly positioned impacted teeth can cause many problems. When they are partially erupted, the opening around the tooth allows bacteria to grow and will eventually cause an infection. The result: swelling, jaw stiffness, pain and infection. The pressure from the erupting wisdom tooth may move other teeth and disrupt the orthodontic or natural alignment of teeth.
The most serious problem occurs when tumors or cysts form around the impacted wisdom tooth, resulting in the destruction of the jawbone and healthy teeth. Removal of the offending impacted tooth or teeth usually resolves these problems. Early removal is recommended to avoid such future problems and to decrease the surgical risks involved with the procedure.
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