Wisdom Teeth

Average adults have 32 teeth by the time they are eighteen years old. Each individual tooth has a specific name and function. The average mouth is only made to hold 28 teeth. This can cause extreme pain and overcrowding when your remaining 4 teeth (wisdom teeth) try to fit in.

The extraction of wisdom teeth is necessary when they are prevented from properly erupting within the mouth. They may grow sideways, partially emerge from the gum, and even remain trapped beneath the gum and bone. Impacted teeth can take many positions in the bone as they attempt to find a pathway that will allow them to successfully erupt.

When your teeth are prevented from properly erupting within your mouth, it is recommended to have your wisdom teeth extracted. Your wisdom teeth can grow sideways, partially emerge from the gum, and even become trapped beneath the gum and bone.

Wisdom teeth extraction is generally an effective means of preventing crowding of the teeth, impaction of wisdom teeth, red, swollen, or painful gums caused by a partially erupted wisdom tooth, and gum disease and tooth decay.

Depending on the complexity of the extraction, the doctor will use local anesthesia, sedation, or general anesthesia to increase patient comfort during and after the procedure. Generally, the procedure can be performed in the doctor’s office.