Many people wonder why we have wisdom teeth if they are really nothing but a nuisance. The fact is that anthropologists believe that wisdom teeth, which are our third set of molars, evolved because our ancestors needed to chew foods like nuts, roots, leaves, and meats which were tough and required more chewing power, which caused excessive wearing of the teeth overall.
Today, we have a diet of softer foods, together with that wonderful modern invention of the knife and fork. This has resulted in wisdom teeth being classified as vestigial organs – body parts which are no longer needed and perform no particular function, in much the same way as the appendix.
Tooth development takes place over a number of years and the first molars appear at around the age of six, with the second molars around age 12. Wisdom teeth do not erupt until the age of around 17 and maybe as late as 25: by this age you are assumed to have become wiser, hence the name.
Some people do not produce any wisdom teeth at all, and for those who do they may have as few as one or as many as four. A very few people produce more than four wisdom teeth, but that is a rarity. Some people have wisdom teeth that perform as well as their other teeth in which case there is no need to have wisdom teeth extraction in San Francisco. But, San Francisco residents and really people all throughout the Bay Area want to look their best. Your wisdom teeth can damage your smile, so why risk it? Our San Francisco oral surgery office is convenient to downtown, and we can schedule your initial exam over the phone.
Wisdom Teeth Can Displace Other Teeth
Wisdom teeth that do not erupt can cause problems such as displacement of other teeth and those that do erupt can get blocked by other teeth next to them, or they may partially erupt and then food can get trapped in the tissue around them leading to infections. In short, it is best for most people to have wisdom teeth removed in order to prevent any later complications, and the best time to do this is before the age of about 25, and even as early as about 15 when the roots are about 2/3 formed.
As one of the leading dental and oral surgeons in the San Francisco Bay Area, Our doctor, Dr Alex Rabinovich, is one of the leading surgeons performing wisdom teeth extraction San Francisco. He can advise patients who are considering wisdom teeth removal, and he offers a totally free consult, when he can x-ray your mouth and predict any likely future problems and discuss your options.
Should you decide that you wish to have wisdom teeth extraction San Francisco, the operation will be carried out under local anesthesia or general anesthesia in our office. The procedure does not take very long to perform, and you will recover in the office under supervision until you are ready to be taken home.