Does everyone get wisdom teeth? I am a little scared of them because it sounds quite painful to get removed. Is it possible for someone to not get them?
Wisdom teeth are also known as third molars. They are the last to erupt and frequently cause slight or serious complications.
Typically, they appear, when a person is between fifteen and twenty-five years old. The majority of grown-ups have four of them. However, deviations from this norm are observed quite often. Thus, people may grow from one to three teeth of this type and there are even those, who do not have third molars at all. The approximate amount of such people ranges between 2-5% of general population. This condition is known as oligodontia.
In fact, there is no exact data concerning how many people have third molars. Nonetheless, it is reported that cases when people do not develop them are not rare. Dentists explain this phenomenon in several ways. First of all, it is supposed that some people may be genetically predisposed to this condition. It has been noticed that the majority of people, who face oligodontia, have relatives with the same problem. Well, it is not even a problem, but rather your individual feature.
Some third molars, which never come out, still exist. Dentists call them “impacted”. They are located in the gums and often cause problems. For example, such teeth may erupt partially or incorrectly, thus damaging neighboring teeth and gum tissues or leading to the spread of infection. If this happens, they have to be pulled out as soon as possible to prevent more serious complications.
If you are between 15 and 25 years old and do not have these teeth yet, this fact should not frustrate or worry you. Nowadays, it is possible to find out whether you have third molars or not in less than an hour. Everything you have to do is to visit your dentist and ask him/her to make a panoramic X-ray. This procedure is not complicated and time-taking. It will let you know if there are third molars in your gums. In case the X-ray shows that there are no visible teeth forming, this may signify that they will probably never erupt at all. If so, then you may be considered lucky enough to avoid numerous potential problems caused by teeth of this type. If you need, you may undergo the X-ray procedure for several times to know if there are any changes.