Wisdom teeth normally erupt between the ages of 18 to 24 years of age.

It is common for wisdom teeth to be impacted, meaning there is no space for them to erupt.

The reasons for not having this space are:
1. Our soft diets do not cause wear on our other teeth that would have allowed room for the wisdom teeth to fit in.
2. The lower jaw has not grown enough to accommodate the wisdom teeth
3. You may have inherited large teeth and/or a small jaw.

Wisdom teeth need to be removed if any of the following problems below are occurring: (an X-ray is required before the wisdom teeth are removed)

Infection When an impacted wisdom tooth starts to push through the gums, an infection can start around the top of the tooth. Infection and inflammation (swollen red gums) can cause pain, swelling and jaw stiffness

Crowding A wisdom tooth may push nearby teeth out of their correct position and may help to cause crowding of front teeth.

Cysts Sacks of fluid called cysts can form around the tooth. The cysts can destroy bone, weaken the jaw and cause damage to other teeth and gums

Damage to nearby molars An impacted wisdom tooth may keep pushing against the molars next to it. This often leads to serious damage to both teeth.

The impacted tooth causing problems needs to be removed and often so does its opposing tooth. This is because teeth keep moving until they hit something. So if only one tooth is extracted then the opposing tooth will keep moving either up or down until it hits the gum of the extracted tooth, causing problems.

Also as the wisdom tooth moves, gaps form. This allows more food and bacteria to accumulate around the wisdom tooth. This will then lead to decay and gum disease around the wisdom tooth and the molar tooth next to it. So having the two opposing teeth out at the same time prevents more problems from occurring and healing time only happens once instead of twice.

The difficulty of the removal procedure determines whether the wisdom teeth can be removed at the surgery or in a hospital. Your dentist can discuss your options with you. It is also important to know the complications associated with the procedure. This varies from person to person and will be explained to you.