{"id":31454,"date":"2019-11-08T12:15:15","date_gmt":"2019-11-08T12:15:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/growingsmiles.co.uk\/?p=31454"},"modified":"2021-04-26T15:18:52","modified_gmt":"2021-04-26T14:18:52","slug":"words-of-wisdom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/growingsmiles.co.uk\/words-of-wisdom\/","title":{"rendered":"Words of Wisdom"},"content":{"rendered":"

Wisdom teeth are often mentioned with a grimace, only coming\nup in conversation if they are a problem. Why on earth are they called wisdom\n<\/em>teeth when they flare up and make us feel less than clever? I\u2019m sure we\ncould all think of a few better names for these, often trouble causing, teeth!<\/p>

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Formally referred to as third molars, wisdom teeth were\ngiven the \u2018wisdom\u2019 name due to their late arrival in the mouth \u2013 making an\nappearance much later than the other teeth, presumably at a stage when a person\nis older and wiser<\/em>. These teeth usually erupt between the ages of 17 and\n25 years old.  It is believed by\nanthropologists that wisdom teeth were required by our ancestors, who had\nlarger jaws, to help them chew their food which, unlike today\u2019s diet, would\nhave been much more difficult to chew and digest, including leaves, roots, nuts\nand meats.<\/p>

Thanks to modern diet and lifestyles, we really don\u2019t have a\nrequirement (or the space) for wisdom teeth, which not everyone gets. They are\nthe most common congenitally missing teeth, with some people getting some, but\nnot all four of them.<\/p>

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Image shows both upper and lower impacted wisdom teeth<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>

Wisdom teeth often resemble molars, but they can also look quite different.  They can be developed in the jaws, but never erupt through the gums into the mouth (unerupted), developed and fully erupt or only partially erupt (in some cases stuck against the tooth in front where they become impacted).  For some, they don\u2019t cause any symptoms, however for others they can cause pain, inflammation and in some cases infection.<\/p>

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Wisdom teeth often resemble molars, but they can also look quite different.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>

The most common problems arise when a tooth is partly\nerupted and\/or impacted. The gum can become sore and swollen, usually when food\nand\/or bacteria in the plaque biofilm gather under the flap of gum.  This can be very painful and makes it very\ndifficult to clean. <\/p>

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Image shows an impacted wisdom tooth<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>

In the UK wisdom teeth are no longer routinely extracted. When making any decision regarding extraction of wisdom teeth your dentist will consider the guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), on removing wisdom teeth in adults. The guidance can be found here<\/a>.<\/p>

Growing Smiles top tips on caring for wisdom teeth:<\/p>