To remove or not to remove??

What are wisdom teeth?

Wisdom teeth are the upper and lower third molars, located at the very back of the mouth. They are calledwisdom teeth because usually they come in when a person is between age 17 and 21 or older�old enough to have gained some “wisdom.” Wisdom teeth that are healthy and properly positioned do not cause problems.

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What causes problems with wisdom teeth?

Wisdom teethmay break partway through your gums, causing a flap of gum tissue to grow overthem where food can become trapped and a gum infection can develop. Wisdom teeth can also come in crooked or facing the wrong direction. Or, if your jawis not large enough to give them room, wisdom teeth may become impacted and unable to break through your gums. Youmay have trouble properly cleaning around wisdom teeth because they are so farin the back of your mouth and may be crowded.

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What are the symptoms?

Wisdom teeth often cause no symptoms. Symptoms that may mean your wisdom teeth need to beremoved include:

• Pain or jaw stiffness near an impacted tooth.
• Pain or irritation from a tooth coming in at an awkward angle and rubbing against your cheek, tongue, or top or bottom of the mouth.
• An infected swelling in the flap of gum tissue that has formed on top of an impacted tooth that has partially broken through the gum.
• Crowding of other teeth.
• Tooth decay or gum disease if there’s not enough room to properly care for the wisdom tooth and surrounding teeth.

Most problems with wisdom teeth develop in people between the ages of 15 and 25. Few people older than 30 develop problems that require removal of their wisdom teeth.

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How are problems with wisdom teeth diagnosed?

Your dentist will examine yourteeth and gums for signs of a wisdom tooth coming through you

r gum or crowding other teeth. You will haveX-rays to find out whether your wisdom teeth arecausing problems now or are likely to cause problems in the future.

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How are they treated?

The most common treatment for wisdom tooth problems is removal (extraction) of the tooth. Experts disagree about whether to remove a wisdomtooth that is not causing symptoms or problems. Oral surgeons generally agree that removing a wisdom tooth is easier in younger people (usually in theirearly 20’s), when the tooth’s roots and the jawbone are not completely developed. In the late 20’s and older, the jawbone tends to get harder, and healing generally takes longer.

.http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/guide/wisdom-teeth