Wisdom Teeth
Almost all of us develop wisdom teeth and almost all of us wish we hadn't. Wisdom teeth are actually our third set of molars. They emerge on the right and left of our mouths, both top and bottom.
We might well consider them as "visitors" from a previous life that have long outlived their welcome and usefulness. There was a time when our eating habits demanded more teeth, presumably to tear and chew raw meat off the bones of animals. Our forebears' jaws were large enough to accommodate thirty-two, including the third molars or wisdom teeth. Today most of our jaws are only large enough to comfortably fit twenty-eight teeth.
Wisdom teeth begin to form at age 9 and are usually completely mature when people are between the ages of eighteen and twenty-one. By your late teens your jaw has nearly reached its adult size, but, unfortunately, it isn't usually big enough to adjust to holding wisdom teeth. As a result, these teeth can become trapped in the bone (or Impacted). When this happens the teeth grow in wherever they can find room. The tooth crowns may only break through the gum partially, or may remain completely in the bone.
It is difficult for us to predict when or if your wisdom teeth will give you problems. Regular x-rays can give us a good indication. Impacted or infected wisdom teeth can cause severe damage. Their removal at a younger age, before complications develop, means easier extractions and faster recovery time.