Wisdom Tooth Extractions

What are they?

Wisdom teeth, or third molars, are the last permanent teeth to form and move into the mouth. Wisdom teeth usually emerge at around 16 to 18 years of age, and they’re usually fully developed by the age of 22 or 23. People used to say that was the “age of wisdom,” which is where the term “wisdom teeth” originated from.

In most cases, jaws are not large enough to accommodate wisdom teeth, so they remain trapped under the gum tissue and bone. The term “impacted” describes a tooth that is not fully exposed in the mouth. This occurs due to an evolutionary trend towards a larger cranial (brain) size and smaller jaw, limiting the space to accommodate the wisdom teeth.

What are the benefits?

If your wisdom teeth are impacted but aren't causing any problems, they don’t usually need to be extracted. To determine whether there is a need to have your wisdom teeth removed, a digital X-ray of your mouth will be carried out in order to provide a clearer view of the position of your teeth.

Before the procedure, you'll usually be given a local anaesthetic injection to numb the area around the tooth. You'll feel some pressure just before the tooth is removed, as your dentist or oral surgeon will need to widen the tooth socket by rocking the tooth back and forth.

In some cases, your dentist may need to cut into your gum, and the tooth will need to be cut into smaller pieces before it's removed. After that, however, you will feel relief and the pain will go away.