The wisdom teeth are the last teeth to emerge, growing at the rear of your gums. The average person has four wisdom teeth (1 in each corner).Wisdom teeth normally emerge from the gums in late adolescence or early adulthood. The other 28 adult teeth are normally in place by this time, so there isn’t always enough room in the mouth for the wisdom teeth to fully develop. Wisdom teeth can occasionally emerge at an angle or become caught and only partially emerge due to a lack of room. Impacted wisdom teeth are those that grow through in this manner.
If your wisdom teeth are impacted but not causing any problems, they normally don’t need to be removed. This is due to the fact that there is no demonstrated benefit and there is a danger of problems. Wisdom teeth that have gotten impacted or have not fully broken through the gum surface might cause dental issues. Food and germs can become caught around the wisdom teeth’s edges, causing plaque to build up, which can lead to: tooth decay, gum disease, pericoronitis, cellulitis, abscess, cysts and benign growths.
During the extraction of upper jaw wisdom teeth, you’ll normally be given a local anesthetic injection to numb the area around the tooth. Most upper wisdom teeth can be removed easily under a local anesthetic. Just before the tooth is extracted, you’ll feel some pressure as your dentist or oral surgeon works to enlarge the tooth socket by rotating the tooth back and forth. Sometimes a tiny cut in the gum is required, and the tooth may need to be chopped into smaller pieces before being extracted. The removal of a wisdom teeth can take anywhere from a few minutes to 20 minutes, or even more in extreme cases.
