Wisdom Teeth

Medical Topic of the Day:  Our series of misunderstood body parts of dubious utility continues today with your wisdom teeth.  If you still have them that is.  Why do we have them when they usually need removed and cause so much discomfort?

Off the Top of My Head:  By the time wisdom teeth emerge there is little room in your head to accommodate them.  Hence they are typically extracted causing pain, discomfort, swelling and more pain.   They suck.

Look at them sitting there doing nothing.  WTF?

My Research Today:  Wisdom teeth are any one of your four third molars that emerge between the ages of 17 and 25.  Oddly enough "wisdom teeth" are supposedly named for the "age of wisdom" that exists between those ages.  Or maybe the person that coined the term was exceedingly sarcastic.  17 to 25 year-olds know exactly dick.

Wisdom.

It is very common for wisdom teeth to be misaligned when they begin to emerge which is what creates the necessity for removal.  The teeth become impacted causing pain and swelling sometimes leading to infection or abscess.  There are four main types of wisdom tooth impaction.  Get ready for some big words.  The most common is Mesioangular impaction (1), the second most common is Vertical impaction (4).  Distoangular impaction is rare and I have no pic for it but it is angled in the reverse of (1).  Horizontal impaction (3) is very rare and extremely unfortunate because you will need an oral surgeon with a scalpel.

Whichever way they become impacted they need removed as they can cause damage to your existing molars even if they do not become infected.  Sometimes the teeth will have to be broken into pieces to be extracted.  Wisdom teeth extraction is not a gentle procedure.  Dentists and oral surgeons go to work on those sonsofbitches with extreme prejudice.  It's like Seal Team Six kicking down the back door of your mouth, son, they will not leave empty handed.

Not pictured:  Dead wisdom teeth and terrorists.

Luckily you only have to have the procedure done once.  And extraction is much more pleasant than the alternative of infection.  Dental infections are extremely painful and can be deadly.  Your body will wall off infections into an abscess but if an infection of your tooth gets out of control your jaw bone can get infected. It is also a short sort trip to your brain from there.  I have seen both and most people don't look as nice with a piece of their jaw removed or an extra hole in their head.  So cowboy-up and don't be a pussy, just get it over with.

Tools of the trade.

Some people are sort of lucky and have properly aligned wisdom teeth which become functional healthy teeth. The position make them difficult to clean and care for and cavities develop. I, for example have all of my wisdom teeth but I also have fillings in all of them and a root canal in one of them. All of the work back there sucked donkey D.

Anyways, have a good night. Is anyone tired of this series yet? If you want it to change then recommend a topic.

Quest To 180:
11K steps. Feeling better today, trying to get back in it.

The MAN:
Meh