Your wisdom teeth are the last molars (grinding) teeth on the each side of the jaws and usually emerge around the ages of 16 to 20.
Some people never develop wisdom teeth whereas others have all four erupting (one in each corner of the mouth). For most people, the emergence of wisdom teeth does not cause them any issues or bother and therefore do not require removal. However, for some people there is not enough room in their mouths to accommodate for the new teeth which results in a number of issues associated with ‘impacted’ wisdom teeth.
When wisdom teeth are ‘impacted’ they become fully or partially trapped beneath gum tissue due to the presence of other teeth or bone. This can cause painful crowding, tenderness, swelling and or infection of the tooth and surrounding tissues. Antibiotic medications may initially provide some relief from active infections however if symptoms are recurrent, wisdom teeth removal may be required.
The removal of impacted wisdom teeth can be relatively straight forward and performed by your dentist at Maudsland Dental Care. However, a specialist oral surgeon may consulted for complicated cases.
