Wisdom teeth trouble 80% of the population

Eight out of ten people experience problems with their third molars during their lifetime, commonly known as wisdom teeth or eights. These teeth usually appear only in adulthood, when the jaw is already full. Due to lack of space, the eights grow crooked, compress surrounding teeth, or erupt only partially. All of this leads to pain and inflammation, which is why most people who develop them have them extracted.

Why they must come out

Approximately 20 percent of people never develop third molars at all, and the number of those who don't have to deal with any problems due to their absence is gradually increasing. A large part of the younger generation doesn't develop wisdom teeth at all. In the past, third molars were a fully functional part of the dentition and helped in chewing hard raw food. Today they function very rarely and often remain unerupted, hidden in bone and gums throughout life, or are not even formed. People who have third molars are not particularly enthusiastic about them — they come with a number of painful complications.

When extraction is necessary

Up to 40 percent of people don't have their wisdom teeth erupt completely. The wisdom tooth bud forms around the seventh year of a child's life, but their subsequent development is very individual and takes years. They typically erupt by adulthood, which is precisely the source of problems. In the jaws of most adults, there is simply not enough space to accommodate the teeth. This often results in only partial eruption of the tooth. The eights then press very tightly against the second molars, creating hard-to-clean areas where food, plaque, and bacteria accumulate between the partially erupted tooth and the gum. These then lead to inflammation of the surrounding gum and bone, swelling, and unpleasant pain. In such cases, it is necessary to extract the tooth, often surgically.