All About Wisdom Teeth

Wisdom teeth are the backmost teeth in your mouth. They generally come in the late teens to early twenties. This is how they gained the name, “wisdom teeth” because they erupt later in life when the person is wiser. In fact, some people will never actually develop wisdom teeth. Those that do will get them removed to prevent other oral health issues from happening.

However, what are the consequences of not getting your wisdom teeth removed? Why do we have wisdom teeth if we’re just going to remove them? Our dentist in Kilgore, TX can let you know if your wisdom teeth will need to be removed.

Wisdom Teeth: A History

Looking back to the diet of our ancestors can give some insight into why we have wisdom teeth. They had a much different diet from the modern foods we eat today. They consumed a lot of raw meat, plants, and roots.

In order to adequately chew these foods, people developed larger jaws and wisdom teeth. Today’s food is softer and our jaws have shrunk, yet we still have wisdom teeth.

When Wisdom Teeth Removal Is Necessary

There are some people who are able to keep some or all of their wisdom teeth if their jaw is big enough. However, the vast majority of people will need their wisdom teeth removed during early adulthood.

Our dentist will need to do a series of x-rays to get the best perspective on your teeth and jaw. We recommend scheduling an appointment with our dentist as soon as possible if you experience wisdom tooth pain. Extracting the tooth may be the only way to get relief.

The Effect of Wisdom Teeth on Your Oral Health

Despite not emerging until early adulthood, wisdom teeth don’t form until around the age of 10. This means that our dentist will have plenty of time to monitor the development of your wisdom teeth and determine whether there’s enough space in your jaw to accommodate the extra teeth.

Wisdom teeth come in at odd angles or even horizontally when they don’t have the room to properly emerge through the gum line. Crooked wisdom teeth can cause a lot of damage to your smile and undo years of orthodontic or cosmetic dental work.

These teeth may become trapped under the surface of the gums or may only partially erupt. If your jawbone is too small to accommodate wisdom teeth. That’s why it is imperative to remove wisdom teeth as soon as possible when they’re coming in crooked.

If an impacted or crooked wisdom tooth comes in it can cause pain and infection, undo years of orthodontic work, and weaken bone structure. However, our dentist will recommend getting your wisdom teeth removed before this happens.

Schedule an Appointment Today

Do you need your wisdom teeth removed? Our dentist in Kilgore, TX can do that for you. To schedule an appointment, you can call our office at (903)984-1108.