By the time you are a teenager, most of your teeth will have come in – but not all of them. Most people have a set of wisdom teeth, also called third molars, that will not come in until you are between 17 to 25 years old.
Wisdom teeth can cause trouble because they often do not erupt (appear) in a way that is beneficial to your jaw or other teeth. In fact, they are often useless and will cause pain or infection if they are not removed.
Your wisdom teeth may become "impacted," which means that they grow in sideways, point toward the back of the mouth, or may even be totally encased in bone. They can also develop cavities. There often is not enough room for them. Not everyone gets wisdom teeth and some other people never have a problem with them.
Symptoms that wisdom teeth need to be removed include:
- Stiffness of the jaw
- Pain in the back of your mouth
- Inflammation and swelling
- Gum disease at the back of the mouth
The best time to remove them is before you turn 26. At this time, the roots have reached their full length, which places them close to the nerve. The nerve sends signals to and from the brain to your jaw, chin, and tongue, and removing them can be difficult. Because of the difficulty, wisdom teeth surgery is often conducted by an oral surgeon.
Some people do not have problems while they are younger, but problems later on could make it more difficult to remove. The jaw bone becomes harder, teeth could be fractured, and nerve damage could result in problems with eating, speech, and numbness. To prevent this, some dentists will remove healthy wisdom teeth. X-rays will reveal whether or not they will likely cause problems later.