Third molars or “Wisdom” teeth
Third molars get their unique name as “wisdom teeth” from the Greek words “odontos sophias” which loosely translates to teeth of wisdom. As legend goes, it was believed most people would attain these teeth at a “mature or wiser” age – between the ages of 12 – 30. That is not to be taken seriously though, as there are plenty of wise people who congenitally miss third molars!
Most wisdom teeth end up being extracted, making them the number 2 reason for dental extractions. Number 1 being tooth decay.The reason for this is they rarely come in properly. There are two main reasons for that. One: because we no longer eat the type of diet our ancestors ate, over time our jaws have become smaller, but we still have the same number of teeth trying to fit into a smaller space. The other reason is – If a person is born with a small jaw and large teeth, because of the lack of jaw space, wisdom teeth often only partially erupt, are impacted into the jawbone, or come in tilted. If they don’t erupt properly, then they are not considered functional, especially if they don’t even meet the opposing tooth properly.
In rare situations, unerupted or completely impacted wisdom teeth are also known to be associated with certain precancerous cysts such as dentigerous cyst.
The usual cause of a patient seeking wisdom tooth extraction/evaluation is usually decay, gum infection, or periocoronitis (an infection generally caused by food and plaque getting stuck under the flap of skin that covers a portion of the chewing surface of a partially erupted wisdom tooth), which causes pain and swelling in the area, combined with reduced mouth opening as well.. In situations like that, your dentist can advise you whether the flap of tissue can be safely removed or the tooth will need to be extracted.
Your dentists will evaluate the status of your wisdom teeth on your comprehensive exam appointment. They will also recommend getting a panoramic image to ascertain if you have unerupted, malpositioned or problematic wisdom teeth, so as to recommend the appropriate treatment.