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Wisdom Teeth

Wisdom teeth are the third molars and the last ones in the series of teeth. If they erupt, they come out at the age of 16 to 24 years old. They can be useful for chewing if they are well aligned. However, in most cases, they do not come out completely, staying completely or partially impacted in the jaw and should be extracted.

There are several situations where dentists advise to extract wisdom teeth, whether following an infection, or to avoid future complications.

• When the jaws are not wide enough to allow the wisdom teeth to erupt in an alignment that is useful for chewing.
• When the wisdom teeth are partially erupted, since this allows bacteria to penetrate around a tooth and cause an infection. Partially erupted teeth are also more susceptible to cavities and gum disease since they are more difficult to clean.
• A misalignment of the wisdom teeth can squish or damage the second molars since maintaining a good oral hygiene is difficult in this area, making these healthy teeth more vulnerable to cavities and gum disease.
• To reduce the risk of cyst formation that can appear around an impacted tooth that may lead to jaw fractures or other pathology.
• The best time to extract wisdom teeth is at the end of adolescence, before roots are completely formed, making the treatment less complicated, but adult patients can be evaluated for extraction at any age.