Dental Patient Education

  

Wisdom Teeth
 
 

Wisdom teeth (or third molars), are the final teeth to develop. Most of us have four wisdom teeth, one in each corner of the mouth. They usually emerge during our late teens or early twenties.

Occasionally, wisdom teeth become entrapped or impacted in the jawbone and cause crowding , displacement, decay, infection or gum disease. Impacted wisdom teeth can grow in many different directions -- horizontally, vertically, or at an angle.

Angular, bony impaction of third molar (wisdom tooth). graphic
graphic Soft tissue impaction of third molar (wisdom tooth).

 

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