When Do Wisdom Teeth Stop Coming In?

When people visit their dentist to seek treatment for various dental ailments, more often than not it’s because of some sort of issue involving the wisdom teeth.

While a toothache in general is not pleasant, toothache caused by issues relating to the wisdom teeth is particularly painful and will need taking care of sooner rather than later.

We’ve all heard about our wisdom teeth, and a fair few people have felt just how painful conditions such as impacted wisdom teeth can be, but when do wisdom teeth stop coming in, what exactly are our wisdom teeth, and how long does wisdom tooth pain actually last?

All of those questions, and many more besides, will soon be answered as we take a detailed look at the wisdom teeth.

What are wisdom teeth?

Wisdom teeth unfortunately aren’t a sign of intelligence, but rather, they get their name due to the fact that they tend to come in later on in life.

When we’re children we have our baby teeth which become wobbly and loose and fall out, so as to be replaced by our adult teeth. Wisdom teeth, however, don’t make an appearance until much later on in life.

Located in the back of the mouth, people will typically get 4 wisdom teeth in total, with 2 on the top row of teeth and 2 on the bottom row of teeth, taking the total number of adult teeth in the mouth to 32, assuming the rest of your teeth are healthy of course.

Wisdom teeth are classed as molars as they’re tough and large and are designed for chewing food and breaking it down. Because the wisdom teeth are so unique, not every adult actually has a set of wisdom teeth, which experts believe is due to a change in the bone structure in the mouth over the years.

Why do wisdom teeth erupt so late?

When we’re growing up, as soon as we start losing our baby teeth our adult teeth start growing in their place. The wisdom teeth, however, begin erupting much later.

Typically, wisdom teeth don’t start coming in until people are in their late teens or early twenties, so 17 – 24. The reason for this all stems in our development as children. You see, a child’s jaw is naturally small and therefore there is not enough room in the mouth of children for wisdom teeth to erupt. As children grow and develop however, so too do their jaws and as their jaws become larger the wisdom teeth have more room to erupt.

When do wisdom teeth stop coming in?

On average, wisdom teeth emerge between the ages of 17 – 24. Despite this however, the teeth may emerge much later, and make an appearance when a person reaches 30 or so.

As mentioned, not everybody’s wisdom teeth emerge at all so some people will reach adulthood without a set of wisdom teeth.

Can wisdom teeth fall out naturally?

The wisdom teeth, like our other teeth, and anchored in place and protected by the jawbone which means that, providing they’re healthy, they should never fall out.

Wisdom teeth can fall out naturally however, though this is usually down to poor oral hygiene, gum disease, trauma to the teeth and/or surrounding area, infection, or other dental issues.

Put very simply, a healthy set of wisdom teeth should not fall out naturally.

How long does wisdom teeth pain last?

Unfortunately, impacted wisdom teeth are very common. When this occurs, the wisdom teeth become trapped under the gums and instead grow at an odd angle, often causing a great deal of pain and discomfort.

If you’ve ever experienced impacted wisdom teeth before, or any other wisdom tooth pain before, you’ll no doubt be well aware of how painful it was.

Because the pain is so extreme, people often wonder how long wisdom tooth pain lasts. The truth of the matter is that it all depends on the cause of the pain and which steps the individual in question happens to take next.

If you visit your dentist, they will be able to diagnose the cause of the pain and put it right. If it turns out that you need a wisdom tooth extracted, the pain will typically last 3 – 7 days.

Book an appointment now if your wisdom teeth are bothering you

If you suffer with any wisdom tooth pain or discomfort, or any other form of tooth, mouth, or gum pain for that matter, make sure you speak to your dentist as soon as possible.

Here at Nedlands Dental, we deal with wisdom tooth issues on a weekly basis and can put you right in no time at all.

If your wisdom teeth are causing you pain or discomfort, pick up the phone today and give us a call (or book online) at Nedlands Dental and let us help.