It is a fact that nearly everyone grows wisdom teeth as they advance through teenage years. Sometimes they cause no problems whatsoever, but with most people they are a ticking time bomb. They are the third molars and the very last teeth to erupt in your mouth, and in most cases, there is not enough room for them.
If you are wondering why this should be the case, it is because we don’t need them any more. Back in the day, when we all lived in caves, the wisdom teeth were needed to chew raw meats and tough plant foods. However, we have changed since those days, and as a result our jaws have grown smaller because wisdom teeth are not essential. So, there is not enough room for them to grow as they used to.
Wisdom teeth are, in that sense, similar to the appendix, the muscle fibers that produce goose bumps, the coccyx (tail bone), male nipples, and more. We used to need them millions of years ago, but we don’t need them today. Yet still they grow.
Wisdom Teeth Can Cause Severe Damage
Unfortunately, because there is usually not enough room for them, they can cause all sorts of problems which can result, in some cases, in severe damage to your jawbone, gums, and other teeth, and can even cause tumors. Many San Francisco residents are young – or at least ‘young at heart,’ – and not all have had their wisdom teeth out when they were in their late teens (though that is the general recommendation). Thus, they look for a San Francisco oral surgeon who can help them catch up with their elders by getting these pesky teeth removed.
Certainly, in a few cases, there is enough room for them, and they grow straight, without any issues. However, this is a rarity. What happens in most cases is, since there is not enough room for them to grow straight, they grow sideways or can get trapped under the gum.
So, this can result in a situation where adjoining teeth, which are perfectly OK, get pushed out of alignment as these pesky wisdoms try to find a way out. They can also leave gaps in the gum which can then get filled with bacteria, causing infection.
This why wisdom teeth extraction is essential in most cases. As you might imagine, at Oral Surgery San Francisco our oral surgeons, Dr Alex Rabinovich and Dr Noah Sandler, carry out quite a number of these procedures every week. As we said, while there are some people who have no issues with them, wisdom teeth extraction is necessary for most people, and it needs to be carried out before those teeth start to cause issues. You don’t want to wait until you have gum infections or damage to your adjoining teeth, and even to your jawbone.
Our doctors are both happy to provide all patients with a free consult, when they can assess your situation, and will then be able to advise if wisdom teeth extraction is necessary in your particular case. It may not be, but if it is, you would be “wise” to have those wisdom teeth removed.