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Wisdom teeth are the very last teeth that erupt into an adult oral cavity. There are usually 4 wisdom teeth, or third molars present in the mouth – but may also be absent congenitally. They can start erupting any time between the ages of 17 and 25. The reason why these teeth are rather popular in dental surgeries is that are most likely to get impacted due to lack of space in the upper and lower arches. Impaction is a term that refers to the eruption of a tooth in any direction other than straight, downward, directly facing the occlusal surface of the same tooth in the opposite arch.

This crookedness can lead to a number of problems, most prominently swelling and pain, limited mouth opening, inability to eat from, or clean the affected side, and damage to the tooth adjacent to the impacted wisdom tooth. In such cases, dentists recommend extraction. At Dr M. Andrew Johnson DDS, we usually take a full mouth OPG to determine the position of third molars below the gum, and then plan the treatment accordingly. We also offer multiple sedation options to make your impacted wisdom tooth extraction procedure completely painless and stress-free for you.