Wisdom teeth usually erupt in a person’s late teens or early twenties. Many times, wisdom teeth (also known as third molars) come in at the wrong angle which causes spacing issues. Sometimes, wisdom teeth remain impacted, never erupting at all. All of these potential issues explain why so many people have their wisdom teeth extracted. Read on to become a little bit wiser on the subject of your third molars.
FAQs about Wisdom Teeth
Q1. Does a partially erupted wisdom tooth require extraction?
A1. If you have a wisdom tooth which fails to erupt through your gums completely, you will end up with a soft tissue flap called an operculum. This flap makes it very difficult to clean your teeth properly. Germs and food debris are likely to accumulate underneath an operculum. This will likely lead to infection. Wisdom tooth extraction is generally the recommendation in cases such as these.
Q2. I’ve heard that human evolution has made wisdom teeth obsolete? Is this true?
A2. Back in time, when early man had to hunt for food and had no fire to cook what was eaten, more chewing and cutting with teeth was required. The ancestral diet consisted of leaves, roots, raw meats, and nuts, primarily. A third set of molars was highly necessary in those times. In modern days, however, we cook and cut everything into bite-sized, manageable pieces. Wisdom teeth are simply not as important to us.
Q3. Why are third molars called “wisdom teeth?”
A3. Ancient Greek physician, Hippocrates made the initial connection between the age that third molars erupt with the time when teenagers or young adults develop more experience and wisdom. The actual Greek name for third molars is sophronisteres which translates to “prudent teeth.”
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