Wisdom Teeth: What Are They?

Wisdom teeth are not really a sign of wisdom, but could be a sign that you will suffer intense pain. The third and final set of molars to come out in your late teens or early twenties is called wisdom teeth. When healthy and well-aligned, they will help you chew and crush your food, wisdom teeth that are misaligned, however, will need to be extracted.

Wisdom teeth can cause trouble when they are misaligned. They can come out horizontally, or hit adjacent teeth. They can also grow angled inward or outward.

Bad alignment of wisdom teeth can cause pressure and damage nearby teeth, the jawbone, or nerves. Wisdom teeth that grow against the second molars can give you tooth decay by trapping plaque and germs.

Sometimes, wisdom teeth can stay completely within the gum and the jawbone. Sometimes, they only partially break through or erupt through the gum.

Teeth that remain partially or completely hidden in the gum and the jawbone are called impacted teeth.

Wisdom teeth that do not come out completely can cause bacteria to seep into the hole around the tooth and cause an infection. This results in pain, swelling, stiffness, and general pain. Partially exposed teeth are also more susceptible to cavities and gum disease because they make the gaps in your teeth harder to reach.