Although wisdom teeth may seem unimportant, they may have formerly been useful. Wisdom teeth may have developed as humans evolved, according to anthropologists. For example, our wisdom teeth may have helped in chewing because early humans consumed hard food like nuts, berries, meat, and leaves. These days, we get rid of them before they cause crowding and alignment issues.

Does Everyone Have Wisdom Teeth?

Evidence suggests that only 35% of people do not have wisdom teeth. According to some theories, this is due to the evolution of the jaw structure. According to some, people without wisdom teeth have more advanced jaws. Other claims linked the non-development of wisdom teeth to ethnicity, pointing to indigenous Mexicans who never had wisdom teeth.

Typical Cases of Wisdom Teeth Extraction

Your wisdom teeth may be in a variety of places under the gums. One benefit is that they can develop in an upright position away from the development of other teeth. The decision to remove your wisdom teeth arises when they grow this way. 

However, there are times when the teeth may grow in other directions. For example, they can grow crooked, outward, and horizontally, lying 90 degrees on their side. Additionally, they may not come out of the gums, developing into impacted teeth.

When wisdom teeth develop in this manner, they will likely get in contact with the teeth next to them.  When they do, they frequently move around the other teeth, resulting in discomfort and alignment issues. Additionally, if you have an impacted tooth, you may be vulnerable to pericoronitis, a severe illness caused by a wisdom tooth in which the tissues surrounding the tooth become inflamed.

And finally, if you delay treatment, you could experience pain from misaligned teeth or nerve damage.

Why Do I Need to Have My Wisdom Teeth Removed?

Our jaws are small and usually hold 28 teeth, less than the number of teeth that develop. Because of this, spacing may become an issue. As a result, when the wisdom tooth erupts, there's not enough room for the tooth to fully develop. This is called an impacted tooth. Sometimes, impacted teeth damage the roots of other teeth in the mouth.

At the very least, spacing issues in the mouth can make brushing and flossing more difficult. On the other hand, impacted wisdom teeth can increase the probability of developing a cyst or tumor, which can damaging nerves or jaw bones.

Recovery Tips

Ensure to consume very soft or liquid meals while the area is still tender and painful. Be careful with what you eat to ensure you don't harm the healing area after wisdom tooth removal. Additionally, choose sugarless smoothies, soups, and other liquid or soft food for a while until the wounds show improvement.

Get plenty of sleep to allow quicker healing. With good sleep comes a better immune system capable of working long and hard to ensure your wisdom tooth wounds heal properly and quickly.

Apply ice to the area to bring down swelling. Your mouth may slightly swell after wisdom tooth extraction. To help with the swelling and numb some pain, use an ice pack and ensure to continue getting plenty of rest. Avoid chewing on hard food substances, and do not chew on the ice packs.

Keep frozen water pops or ice cubes in your mouth to numb the area more effectively. However, do not suck on the ice or ice pops.

Don't participate in physical activities while recovering. As mentioned earlier, getting plenty of rest is part of the healing process. Participating in physical activities is not ideal as the body is in recovery. In addition, try not to talk too much to give the mouth a bit of a break.

Be careful when brushing your teeth. As always, it's crucial to practice oral hygiene routines, but with your mouth healing, you must not aggressively brush your teeth as this could cause problems with the healing wounds. Instead, brush your teeth just enough to make sure they are clean.

More Information about Wisdom Teeth

  • Your third molars must be removed 85 percent of the time as they often cause problems. However, as long as they don't interfere with speech, eating, or the positioning of other teeth, some fortunate people can maintain them.
  • Most people who do get wisdom teeth get all four. Some people, however, might only get three or two wisdom teeth.
  • Wisdom teeth develop once the dental arch gets larger or "matures," which doesn't occur until around age 17 to 25 - usually 17 to 21 on average.
  • When a person needs to have their wisdom teeth extracted primarily depends on how far along they are in development and how negatively they are affecting their mouth.
  • Before anesthesia, very few people had their wisdom teeth removed. On the other hand, anesthesia allows us to have our third teeth out without recalling or feeling anything. For many people, this is reassuring.
  • Wisdom teeth aren't essential. We can function just fine without them. Wisdom teeth typically cause more harm than good. However, after wisdom tooth removal is completed and healed, problems initially caused by the wisdom teeth are gone, and the mouth is back to normal as expected.

Are you still curious? Read about one patient's wisdom teeth removal experience.

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