Unless you’ve ignored any symptoms of pain or problems with your wisdom teeth, or if you’ve avoided visiting Northcutt Dental Practice in Mobile lately, you shouldn’t worry about them at all!
What are wisdom teeth?
Wisdom teeth are technically called the third molars. They usually start to come in during the late teens and early 20s, when many people are in college or starting new jobs, hopefully learning and gaining wisdom!
Why are wisdom teeth extracted?
There are several symptoms that could mean problem wisdom teeth:
-
Pain, swollen, or bleeding gums
-
Chronic bad breath or an unpleasant taste in your mouth
-
Your wisdom teeth may damage neighboring teeth or become infected
-
They may be impacted, meaning they’ve only partially broken through the gums, or haven’t broken through at all
Why do we get wisdom teeth anyway?
Good question! Scientists are studying that but we still don’t know the answer. One theory is that our diet has changed over thousands of years and we don’t need the additional teeth for chewing. What’s interesting is that in some areas of the world, almost 100 percent of people don’t get wisdom teeth, and in other areas nearly 100 percent do get them!
Contact us at our Mobile dental office if you’re experiencing any problems, or if it’s time for a regular checkup!
7:30 - 7:30 Weekdays!
7:30 – 4:30 Saturdays
