Wisdom teeth which are actually third molar teeth, last in line, on both sides of the upper and lower jaws. The usual eruption time of wisdom teeth is between the ages of 14 to 18 years.
The name is just a misnomer as not an iota of wisdom is associated with the eruption or presence of wisdom teeth; rather these teeth tend to bring trouble at times. As they are erupting late and the jaw is already crowded, there is often little room for wisdom teeth. This results in incomplete eruptions, eruptions staying within the gums or other tooth problems. When they fail to erupt out of the gums, the condition is known as impacted teeth.
Impacted teeth may remain silent without causing any trouble but can cause problems in the form of infection of the gum or bone. In order to avoid trouble with wisdom teeth, regular dental visits are necessary. The dentist can predict even before their eruption that there is enough room for them on the jaw. The ideal approach typically is getting them removed before they become a source of trouble.
The removal of wisdom teeth can be performed by the dentist in his clinic as an out-patient procedure. All four wisdom teeth can be removed in one go and the procedure is completed in an hour.