A normal person has four different kinds of teeth: incisors, canines, premolars and molars. All of them have their own relevance and are used for different purposes. Molar teeth are basically used for grinding and chewing food. Wisdom teeth are the molars occurring at the posterior end of the dentition. When wisdom teeth erupt they may affect other teeth because of lack of space to grow. Tooth extraction is sometimes required to prevent tooth damage and infection.
When do wisdom teeth erupt?
Wisdom teeth usually erupt between 17 and 21 years of age. They develop so late in life that they are the last human teeth to come. You should not delay a wisdom tooth extraction if your dentist recommends it. In younger age, the roots are smaller and bones are softer, but with growing age roots and bones become rigid, possibly making a tooth extraction surgery more complicated as you get older.
What are wisdom teeth used for?
Wisdom Teeth do exist, but scientifically, we do not need them. They were a part of the dental formation of our ancestors because they consumed food that required solid chewing capacity. After so many years of human evolution, the wisdom teeth have lost their relevance, and we can survive very well even without them. Often, dentists recommend removal of wisdom teeth to prevent wisdom teeth infection.
How many wisdom teeth do we have?
A human child begins teething at an age as young as three months. The last teeth that come in around eighteen years of age are wisdom teeth. Children have twenty baby teeth in total but adults have about thirty-two teeth. These teeth include 8 incisors, 4 canines, 8 premolars, and 12 molars. There are three molars per quadrant, among them are two normal molars and one wisdom tooth. Thus, an average person has four wisdom teeth, two upper and two lower. Most people have one wisdom tooth in each of the four quadrants, but in some rare cases, it is possible to have fewer or more.