Your wisdom teeth are evolutionary holdovers from a time when in when our ancestors lived on a diet that included a large amount of roots and other hard foods. In modern times wisdom teeth have become little more than a nuisance, and are capable of causing significant complications in your oral health.
As a general rule of thumb, Dr. Jacob Shrayman recommends having your wisdom teeth removed at some point after all of your adult teeth have come in.
The average person has four wisdom teeth, but it is not unheard-of for some individuals to have as many as six wisdom teeth, while others might have none at all!
Generally, wisdom teeth attempt to emerge from the gums in late adolescence. Early symptoms often include a deep ache in the gums or rear of the jaw. Some people complain of tension and pressure in the jaw muscles as well.
Sometimes emerging wisdom teeth can become crowded in the back of your mouth or even impacted. An impacted wisdom tooth can cause to pain, infection and potentially damage your molars.
Even if one or more of your wisdom teeth manage to emerge from the gums without any problems, it will still need to be included in your daily oral hygiene routine. Emergent wisdom teeth are often challenging to clean, making them prone to tooth decay. This can actually have a negative impact on the healthy molars in the back of your mouth.
Even though it might be tempting to let them stay in the back of your mouth it can lead to issues later on. If you choose not to have them extracted later in life you may experience a much longer recovery time.
If you are considering having your wisdom teeth removed, you can call Dr. Jacob Shrayman at (973) 791-4104 to schedule an appointment.