Wisdom teeth are the last of the permanent teeth to develop in the mouth. The third molars tend to appear around the ages of sixteen to eighteen years and be fully established by the ages of twenty two or twenty three. This time period in a persons life was assumed to be the “age of wisdom”, which is how the term wisdom teeth was applied. Often it is recommended that wisdom teeth should be removed before they are fully developed because as the roots and teeth continue to grow the root structures spread into the lower jaw making it much more difficult to extract these teeth.
