The Dental Centre

Dental A to Z

Wisdom Teeth

Large teeth at the back of the mouth (third molars or 8’s). They are usually the last to appear, normally in the late teens and early twenties.

Wisdom teeth can cause problems because they erupt at the back of the mouth after all the other permanent teeth have erupted and there is very little space left. Wisdom teeth have a habit of slowly breaking through the gum tissues at the back of the jaws. These tissues can then become infected and swollen. It is often the lower wisdom teeth that become the most troublesome. There can be serious facial swelling and a raised body temperature and fever. In these circumstances professional advice should be sought immediately.

Other wisdom teeth may never come through but remain buried and impacted at an angle in the jaw.

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