Four out of five young adults experience problems with their wisdom teeth. When left untreated these issues can manifest as more costly and risky conditions. Some of these are:
- Abscesses and other infections
- Periodontal disease
- Cavities
- Damage to adjacent teeth
- Crowding of the surrounding teeth
- Cyst or tumor development
Wisdom teeth are the four teeth at the back of your upper and lower jaws on either side of your mouth. Historically wisdom teeth were used by our ancestors to grind their foods for proper digestion. Their diets contained a high percentage of hard nuts, raw plants and tough meats. The large, powerful wisdom teeth were used to break down these foods properly for digestion.
Today, what we eat, the way we eat and how we prepare food have eliminated our need for wisdom teeth. With this lack of need, we are actively evolving towards having no wisdom teeth. Currently, about 20-25% of the population is born with one to three wisdom teeth (instead of four), and 35% are born with no wisdom teeth at all.
If your wisdom teeth have the space to grow in without issue, they can be left as they are and function like the rest of your teeth. If you are among those with wisdom teeth and without the necessary space at the back of the jaws to accommodate them, they can become impacted. “Impacted” means that your wisdom teeth are fully or partially stuck under tissue and gums.