Adults can have up to 32 teeth. The wisdom teeth are the last to come through, right at the back. They usually appear when you are between 17 and 25, although sometimes they appear many years later. Nowadays people often have jaws that are too small for all 32 teeth – 28 is often the most we have room for.
So if all the other teeth are present and healthy there may not be enough space for the wisdom teeth to come through properly.
tooth may try to come through, but will get stuck against the tooth in front of it. The wisdom tooth will be at an angle, and will bedescribed by the dentist as ‘impacted’.
If there is not enough room, the wisdom tooth may try to come through, but will get stuck against the tooth in front of it. The wisdom tooth will be at an angle, and will be described by the dentist as ‘impacted’.
The amount of discomfort will depend on how easy it was to take the tooth out. There is usually some swelling and discomfort for a few days afterwards, and it is important to follow any advice you get about mouthwashes and so on, to help with the healing. Some people also find homeopathic remedies help to reduce discomfort. Usual painkillers such as paracetamol, aspirin or ibuprofen will usually with any pain. It is best to stay fairly quiet and relaxed for 24 hours afterwards to make sue there are no bleeding problems.
There may be some stitches to help the gum heal over. Your dentist will probably want to see you again about a week later to check on the healing, and to remove any stitches.
For more information on wisdom teeth click here
