Have you ever wondered how wisdom teeth got their name? Maybe an unknown dentist woke up one day and said to himself, “Let’s name these late bloomers ‘wisdom’.” If we try to make another conjecture, we can say that given our wisdom teeth erupts at a later age and we are expected to grow wiser by our age (not that we do), these teeth represent our wisdom. Let us have a look at everything we know about them.
Which of our teeth are wisdom teeth?
They are the last molar teeth to erupt in our mouth. Wisdom teeth grow at the very end of the jaw bone. There are four in total, one on exterior end in each of the quadrants. They start developing from the age of 16 to the age of 25. The number of wisdom teeth may also vary individually as sometimes they stay underdeveloped and therefore never erupts.
What is their use?
Anthropologists believe wisdom teeth were the evolutionary answer to our ancestor’s early diet which consisted of coarse and rough food. Feeding on food like leaves, roots, nuts and meat required more chewing power and would result in excessive wearing of the teeth. An extra pair of molar helped in the distribution of that wear and tear. But as time passed and humans learned to farm, this rough diet converted into a softer and more chewable diet consisting more of carbohydrates and fat. Modern tools such as forks, spoons and knives have made the need for wisdom teeth even more nonexistent.
Do they create any problem?
Human jaws have been growing smaller with evolution. Therefore, in many cases, they are impacted and blocked by other teeth. This can cause periodontal diseases, infections and dental cavities causing a lot of discomfort and pain. If you are concerned about your wisdom teeth, go to the Best Dental Clinic in Kolkata and have them checked.
Wisdom teeth that do not erupt due to not being fully developed can also lead to oral problems. Some of these problems are crowding or displacement of the permanent teeth. On very rare occasions, a cyst can form in the soft tissue which surrounds the impacted wisdom tooth leading to bone destruction, jaw displacement, etc.
In case you face any of the above-mentioned problems, the best course of action would be to visit the Best Dentist in Kolkata to get it fixed or removed. If you are thinking of having them taken out, it is strongly recommended that you remove them while you are a young adult. People who have any kind of oral surgery after the age of 35 have higher risks for complications, harder surgeries, and longer healing times than those who get them removed in their early adulthood. Imagine having to have liquid food for one whole week. Therefore, please maintain oral hygiene and smile brighter every day.