If you need a wisdom tooth removal and are wondering why we even have them, and why they tend to cause problems, find out the answers below.
Wisdom teeth, or third molars, are simply the last set of teeth to grow in our mouths, usually in our late teens and early twenties. Other than how far back in the mouth they grow, they are no different to other teeth. The main reason that they are known for causing problems, is mainly to do with the limited space that they have to grow behind all the other teeth.
But why don’t they have more space to grow?
We think that wisdom teeth are basically a relic from our ancestors, dating back to a time when human diets consisted of tougher, raw foods that required more chewing power. Originally, wisdom teeth were quite useful. Our distant ancestors needed extra molars to grind up raw vegetation and uncooked meat. As human diets evolved and cooking became commonplace, the necessity for these powerful grinders reduced. Our jaws shrank as a result of this change in our diet, but our genetic code didn’t quite catch up – we still produce wisdom teeth, but now, there’s often not enough space in our mouths to accommodate them.
As a result of this, wisdom teeth often get stuck and can’t fully grow – we call this impaction.
This can lead to several problems including pain and food trapping. If this pain does not resolve by itself even once the tooth has had a long time to grow through, we call this recurrent pericoronitis and it is one of the most common reasons to need to have them removed.
But even if you do not get any pain, in some situations, leaving impacted wisdom teeth can pose a risk to the adjacent tooth. This is why it’s important that to have dental check-ups for a dentist to assess for any problems. Even if a wisdom tooth has enough space to grow, it can still develop problems like any other tooth, such as tooth decay or an infection, which again a dentist can spot.
The good news is that wisdom teeth are more or less useless functionally and you will not miss having them removed.
You may hear and read lots of different stories about what it’s like having wisdom teeth removed – in short, it is not as bad as it sounds in the right hands. As specialist oral surgeons, we are experts at wisom teeth removal, having carried out thousands over the years, and we even teach other dentists how to do it nicely. We use the safest, most conservative and non-invasive surgical techniques and are very gentle in our ways. We also routinely use PRF (Platelet Rich Fibirin), which can drastically help with overall healing and reduce pain and discomfort after the treatment. And we can do all this under dental sedation, meaning you will be completely unaware of the surgery, to make it even more comfortable.
Contact us if you have any more queries or if you want to book an appointment.
