Once upon a time, wisdom teeth served a useful purpose for us as our diet was mostly very coarse food, as well as impurities such as dirt and sand. This coarse food would wear down teeth, which kept the teeth from taking up too much space in the jaw. The jaw would develop into a larger bone with the constant workout of chewing this coarse food. As well, permanent teeth were lost at an early age frequently which created even more space in the jaw. With all of these factors in place, overcrowding by wisdom was not an issue.

During your initial exam at Lynn Dental Care, an inventory is taken of your teeth. By the age of eighteen, most of us have developed all of 32 of our permanent teeth, 16 on top and 16 on bottom. Unfortunately, most of us have mouths that can only hold up to 28 teeth comfortable and healthy. As we have become more civilized, the foods we eat now are healthier and aren’t as rough on our teeth. As such, the 4 extra teeth called ‘wisdom teeth’ aren’t always necessary now.

Most of us get them at some point, but do we know why certain teeth are called ‘wisdom teeth”? They usually develop in our late teen years at the same time we are moving into early adulthood. With the thought that “with age comes wisdom” around the same time these teeth break through, hence, the term “wisdom teeth” was created. What you may hear the most from adults is they are having their wisdom teeth removed, but why?

A few lucky people will have wisdom teeth come in properly aligned with healthy gum tissue. Often, wisdom teeth tend to breakthrough the gum sideways only partially emerged, thereby giving you what is known as ‘impacted wisdom teeth’.

When your dental team at Lynn Dental Care does an annual examination, they can often times determine the position of your wisdom teeth and predict any possible issues. Our patients that are evaluated in their mid-teenage years, we can often make predictions and recommendations to avoid you having to experience this pain. If we find that there possible issues, your wisdom teeth, bacteria will be allowed to develop and grow and cause an infection, resulting in swelling, stiffness, pain, and illness.

Should surgery be required, your dental team will explain the complete process from pre-op, the surgery itself, post-op and what you can expect going forward. If you and your dental team decide to have all of your wisdom teeth removed at one sitting, it most likely be recommend for you to have an IV Sedation to lower the amount of stress you may incur.

You can rest assured that Dr. Lynn and his team of professionals have the latest training, licensing, and experience to provide you the best experience in this type of surgery. Giving you that healthy, dazzling smile and healthy teeth is our primary goal!