Wisdom Tooth Removal in McKinney, TX

Wisdom teeth, or third molars, are the last teeth to develop in the mouth — usually appearing behind the upper and lower second (or 12-year) molars. Many times the jaws of humans are not normally large enough to accommodate the four wisdom teeth. This is why wisdom teeth can cause more problems than any other teeth in the mouth. When a wisdom tooth remains underneath the gum, or when it is blocked from erupting or coming into the mouth normally, it is termed “impacted.” The tooth may be partially impacted, meaning it grows in crooked and breaks through the gum only partially; or, it may fail to break through at all, thus remaining totally impacted. As a person grows older, it becomes more difficult to remove wisdom teeth and complications can become more frequent and severe. For this reason, your dentist may recommend the removal of wisdom teeth even if they are not yet causing obvious problems.