We all have heard things about our wisdom teeth but most of the people don’t know how to protect them. Have you ever thought why we all have wisdom teeth? If you are interested in knowing the reason why we have wisdom teeth, this article will help you in providing basic information about it. Similarly, it is pertinent to ask why we call it wisdom teeth. Although we don’t need wisdom tooth, however, they grow in our mouth in the adult stage of our life. The problem is we don’t give much attention to the fact in addition to taking the wisdom teeth for granted and overemphasizing on the tooth whitening kit
What are Wisdom teeth?
Wisdom teeth are the last set of molars in the mouth. They are located at the back of the mouth and usually appear in the later stage of the life in comparison to other sets of teeth. The wisdom teeth often break through the gum line of existing teeth which can be quite painful for people. The appearance of wisdom tooth sometimes causes swelling of gums which is irritating for people. Therefore, some people choose to remove wisdom teeth because of the infection or bad oral health. However, the removal of wisdom teeth is not suggested, as it may affect the health of gums and other teeth in your mouth.
Why do we have wisdom teeth in the mouth?
It is believed that we have wisdom teeth because our ancestors had the additional set of molars for grinding and chewing food. According to experts, we have these extra set of molars even though we don’t need these in the contemporary era because our eating habits have changed. Hence, some of us never get any wisdom teeth, as they serve no functional purpose in this age.
Crooked Wisdom Teeth
It is generally believed that all wisdom teeth grow crookedly, however if one take into account the recent finding, it becomes clear that some wisdom teeth grow perfectly straight and contribute to improving oral health. Therefore, there is no need to remove these in most of the cases. Moreover, the growth of wisdom teeth depends on the type of mouth and genetics of the particular individual. For example, the growth of wisdom teeth is not always painful. Mostly it is smooth and beneficial for people. Furthermore, these additional set of teeth can help you in eating food more easily and strengthen the oral hygiene.
What if your wisdom teeth are misaligned?
The misalignment of wisdom teeth can badly affect the health of your gums and other teeth in form of disturbing the existing teeth line. Sometimes, it can harm jaw or cause nerve damage. If you happen to develop this condition, it is best to remove them by surgery to maintain the health of the mouth. The misalignment of wisdom tooth can sometimes create serious issues for people, especially if you have gum diseases. Additionally, gums are already vulnerable to the attack of bacteria and if they have misaligned wisdom teeth, it can aggravate the problem in form of exposing the gums to more bacterial action.
What is an impacted wisdom tooth?
The impacted wisdom tooth does not break the gum line but it is blocked by another tooth. Normally, when there is no place for a wisdom tooth to emerge, it may cause pain and discomfort. In this case, if wisdom teeth do not get enough space to come out, it is likely to cause harm to your gum. Thus, these are removed by the dentist in order to prevent further damage to gums. However, the removal of impacted wisdom teeth is difficult because they may be located near to gums and sensitive part of your mouth.
How is Wisdom Tooth removed?
It varies from case to case and depends upon the development of wisdom teeth and damage caused to the gum line. The wisdom tooth that has broken the gum line can easily be extracted. However, it becomes difficult if the wisdom teeth are embedded in bone, dentists will have to remove different parts separately. The local anesthetic is applied in operated part of mouth by dentists and sedation is used for preventing discomfort. To prevent the pain and spending money on removing wisdom teeth, it is recommended that you maintain good oral health.
What is the recovery time of wisdom tooth removal?
The recovery of wisdom teeth varies from person to person, some take few weeks and some take a month to recover completely. All you have to do is, follow instructions of the dentist by avoiding anything that can damage the stitches. If you have non-dissolving stitches, those are removed roughly one week after the procedure. Moreover, the regular checkup by your dentist is suggested for smooth and quick recovery from the procedure. Some people avoid going to the dentist because the fear of surgical procedure. However, one should not do that because it is the matter of oral health. And the best ways of ensuring oral hygiene is to protect oneself from painful procedures.
Misperception about Wisdom tooth
It is often said that wisdom teeth are linked with human wisdom but in reality, there is no truth to it. It’s just a name given to it. So, wisdom teeth are not for increasing wisdom, but it is a terminology used to distinguish the set of teeth from other sets. Though the ancestors used to have it for crushing and chewing food, however, these wisdom teeth have no use, because our food does not need the additional process of grinding. One can say, wisdom teeth are an analogy used by historians to distinguish one type of teeth from another. In simple words, they are just like other teeth and not important for improving wisdom of humans.
Conclusion
To conclude, one should keep a dental kit for protecting teeth and wisdom tooth from bacterial activity. The regular checkup from your dentists can be very useful in preventing problems related to the wisdom tooth. People should not ignore the early signs of issues related to wisdom tooth because it can turn into the major disease in later stages. Furthermore, it is essential to keep oral health by daily brushing and flossing. Dentists should guide their patients in restoring good oral health to protect the patients from painful and costly medical procedure. Lastly, the medical procedures for removal of wisdom teeth are painful and take a long time to recover fully, so in that case, prevention is better than cure.
Shankar Murdock 