Let's get down to see some of the common facts and myths associated with the wisdom teeth...
Myth: You increase the risk of disease if you wait to have them removed
They are way back there in the mouth. You can’t clean them as easily. Of course they are going to become infected and be a breeding ground for disease throughout the mouth, right?
Myth: Everyone has wisdom teeth
Surprisingly not everyone actually has wisdom teeth. In fact, some people have them beneath the gums that never erupt. Some people have one or two and some people don’t have any at all. All of these scenarios are perfectly acceptable unless you have symptoms indicating something is wrong.
Myth: Everyone needs their wisdom teeth removed
This is probably the greatest myth of all. Not everyone needs these teeth removed. They are only extracted when they are impacted or causing other issues. If the teeth are not erupting in the proper position and putting pressure on the existing back teeth or in some cases causing infection or cysts your dentist will advise they be removed.
Myth: Smoking and drinking don’t really cause harm following extractions
You will be told you cannot smoke or drink alcohol following the procedure. Many people believe this is just a precaution mentioned by dentists. However if you smoke or drink alcohol following extractions you are opening yourself up for a whole world of hurt. Following the extractions it is important that the clots that form at the site of the extractions stay intact. If they are not allowed to heal properly and become dislodged, you will form a very painful infection called dry sockets. Smoking and drinking alcohol raise the chances of you getting dry sockets substantially so this is definitely not a myth.
Well that's all for today for the fascinating wisdom teeth but hear the good news too as we are anticipating that as a process of we humans going through a phase of evolution, we might even start seeing extinction of wisdom in few decades.