Why are wisdom teeth needed and what do they look like? Or why eighth teeth are an atavism. Wisdom teeth - do we need “eights”?

Everyone knows that in oral cavity An adult normally has 32 teeth, the main purpose of which is chewing food. But rarely does anyone think about the importance of teeth not only for comfortable eating, but also for carrying out other tasks, no less important.

In our article we will focus on the functions that perform various groups teeth and the importance of keeping them healthy.

The first function is grasping and biting

In the dentition (front part) there are incisors - 4 on the lower and upper jaws. They have a sharp edge, which, when applied with pressure, can cut even very dense food.

In addition, in the oral cavity there are fangs - these are pointed teeth that a person inherited from his predatory ancestors. They help hold food and tear small pieces from it.

As a result of the loss of fangs and incisors, a situation arises when a person can only take liquid or pre-cut into small pieces food. Therefore, their correction is necessary.

The second function is grinding products

The human stomach can fully digest food only if it is well chopped and abundantly moistened with saliva. It is for this purpose that there are molars and premolars in the mouth, which, like millstones, grind large pieces of food and at the same time mix it from the secretions of the salivary glands.

If one of these teeth is missing or lost, digestive tract large unprocessed parts of food enter, which are practically not susceptible to the action of enzymes and can provoke various chronic diseases intestines and stomach.

The third function is aesthetic

Undoubtedly, a beautiful smile is the adornment of a person, and it cannot be imagined without snow-white, straight teeth. For several decades, it was “ Hollywood smile"is synonymous with wealth and success.

Often ugly shape teeth, their dark shade, malocclusion, dental defects can lead to the development of depression and complexes, as they interfere with normal communication with other people.

The fourth function is participation in speech development

Human teeth are passive organs of speech. They are not involved in the creation sound wave, but it is impossible to pronounce some sounds without their participation (for example, sounds such as T, D or L are pronounced by resting the tongue on the lingual surfaces of the teeth).

As a result of the loss of at least one front tooth Serious and persistent disturbances in diction may occur, which are difficult to restore even after prosthetics.

The fifth function is the formation of facial contours

Characteristic signs of old age include sunken cheeks, a small lower jaw, and thin, wrinkled lips. But all this does not arise as a result of old age. The main reason for such changes can be considered tooth loss, and this can happen even in at a young age. The face then looks disproportionate as a result of the reduction of its lower part.
Nothing more than teeth give lower section facial relief, and also prevent the retraction of lips and cheeks.

The sixth function is protective

Dense dentition reliably protects the tongue from falls and blows - important organ for speech formation and swallowing. The special arrangement of the dentition relative to each other is also an obstacle to biting the mucous membranes of the cheeks and lips.

The seventh function is trophic

One of the purposes of teeth, and in particular their pulp vessels, is to maintain normal blood flow in the mucous membranes of the gums and jaw bone tissues.

If a tooth is lost, blood flow and oxygen supply gradually decrease at this site. nutrients to tissues. Over time, the bone atrophies and the gums become thin and pale.

The eighth function is indicator

Teeth are an indicator of the general condition of the body as a whole. In the presence of metabolic pathologies, vitamin deficiencies, chronic diseases of the digestive, endocrine and other systems, unbalanced nutrition, the condition of the teeth suffers - they begin to crumble, change their shade, etc.

That is why caring for your smile is not only about constant hygiene procedures and regular visits to the dentist, but also treatment of concomitant diseases.

Thus, teeth are important not only for comfortable eating. Having lost at least one element of the dentition, over time you can acquire problems with speech, digestion and the development of complexes due to a cosmetic defect.

Do you know why wisdom teeth are needed? This is exactly what we will talk about today. Let's consider different opinions regarding this issue and try to understand how things really are. Do we need a wisdom tooth?

Opinion of foreign dentists

It should be said right away that in many countries patients do not even question whether they need wisdom teeth. The answer is obvious - no. In Europe and the USA, doctors remove third molars (natural wisdom teeth) as soon as they become visible. The procedure for removing wisdom teeth is even included in health insurance. In our country, this problem is solved in different ways. Most often, doctors insist on tooth extraction, but the patient has the right to decide for himself what to do.

What is a wisdom tooth?

Wisdom teeth are 4 molars, which are located at the end of the upper and lower dentition, located closer to auricle and jaw bone. People call it “eight”. Scientific name- third molar.

Appearance

To understand why a wisdom tooth is needed, it is worth understanding when it appears and in whom. We know that an adult has 32 teeth, but only 28 teeth take part in the process of chewing food. This means that this process does not require the 4 teeth that are located at the edges of the upper and lower jaw, that is, the wisdom teeth. They appear much later than other teeth, from about 16 to 26 years. Yours popular name received because of the symbolic “wisdom” that a person acquires when entering adulthood. Although it is clear that “adult” does not yet mean “conscious”, “reasonable” and “wise”. The appearance of wisdom teeth can cause a number of oral problems. It is also worth noting that the emergence process may take several years.

Wisdom tooth: why is it needed?

The functional properties of wisdom teeth have not yet been fully studied. Scientists and dentists consider them to be a vestigial organ that humans no longer need. Interestingly, not everyone develops third molars. About half the population doesn't know wisdom because it doesn't have any. This leads scientists to believe that soon no one will have them.

There is a generally accepted opinion. Why are wisdom teeth really needed? It is believed that in the past, humans needed all 32 teeth to chew tough foods. Modern man consumes food that is much softer, processed, and refined. Now only 28 teeth are enough to chew food.

Why does it hurt?

Why are wisdom teeth needed if they cause so much discomfort? It is believed that because the food became softer, the jaw atrophied and changed. She shrank in size, although her teeth remained the same. It turns out that third molars simply do not fit in the oral cavity, which is why they cause so many problems.

In defense

And yet you can find several reasons why a person needs wisdom teeth. In the process of chewing food, a modern person does not necessarily have third molars, but they perform a number of other functions. important functions. Why do you need to remove wisdom teeth if they can become the only way out for some problems? For example, during dental prosthetics, third molars can become a support that greatly simplifies the procedure. The second reason is that wisdom teeth keep other teeth from growing too much. They “hold” the jaw, preventing teeth from growing haphazardly. And the last argument: when old man loses many teeth; it is the third molars that can replace the chewing ones.

It becomes clear that the role of wisdom teeth is significant. They are something like a “spare tire” that can always help out.

Why delete?

If you are concerned about the question of how and why, then be sure to read the next paragraph. Their growth provokes many problems: dental deformation, caries, constant pain and a number of other problems, which we will discuss below. It is important to understand that possible pathologies very serious. If the dentist considers it necessary to remove wisdom teeth, do so, otherwise you may end up with serious health problems. To protect, it is best to remove the third molars and drink a vitamin strengthening complex.

Problems

If your dentist recommends removing your wisdom tooth, it is best to do so. Third molars can cause a lot of problems for a person. Such teeth very often grow crookedly, which brings a lot of pain. But the process of tooth growth can drag on for a couple of years. The process of “eruption” takes a lot of time, during which time the initial caries has time to “ripen”. If such teeth are not treated promptly, the gums around them will swell, which may require immediate surgical intervention. Even if wisdom teeth are not bothering you, they can contribute to the development of tooth decay. Cleaning or treating them thoroughly can be difficult, even in a doctor's office, due to their difficult-to-reach location. There are very frequent cases when caries from wisdom teeth spreads to other healthy ones. If treatment is impossible, pulpitis threatens - inflammation of the dental nerve.

Long eruption of wisdom teeth is also fraught. A lot of bacteria, food debris and plaque accumulate there. This can lead to gingivitis and halitosis. The situation is even worse when the tooth has only grown halfway. Pericoronitis, an inflammation of the gums that can spread to the bone, may occur. Because the wisdom tooth is too large, it puts pressure on the neighboring ones, destroying their enamel. If a tooth matures but does not erupt, it can cause severe pain that radiates to the neck, throat, and ears.

Removal

Let's say you decide to remove a wisdom tooth. Why is it needed if it brings so many problems? But you shouldn’t blindly trust the dentist; it’s better to find out for yourself what steps are necessary to remove a tooth without consequences. The first thing a doctor should do is find out about the patient’s illnesses, as well as the medications he is taking. It is very important. Even aspirin can cause the operation to be postponed, as it slows down blood clotting. At the next stage, the doctor does several x-rays in order to properly plan the removal.

The procedure must begin with anesthesia. It is advisable that the doctor apply a special gel to the injection site, which will not allow you to feel the injection. When the tooth is located in the bone itself, the doctor has to saw through the tissue and remove the tooth completely or in parts. After this, the wound is sutured.

The sutures are removed by the dentist after some time. This is done under local anesthesia. In modern clinics, it is used that dissolves itself. After the procedure, you must come to the doctor for examination on the 1st, 3rd and 7th day to monitor the situation. To avoid possible complications, you should follow some rules:

• Stay calm for 24 hours after surgery and do not exercise active work and everything that requires tension;
• use only soft and liquid food, avoid hot;
• Do not drink alcohol or smoke for 2 days;
• rinse your teeth every other day saline solution after meal.

These are small and simple rules will help avoid possible complications. It is also advisable not to brush your teeth for at least one day. On the second day you can brush your teeth soft brush, avoiding touching the removal site.

We learned why wisdom teeth are needed. They were provided by nature for a reason, but for modern man they do not play such a role. important role. If you have regular check-ups with your dentist and there are no problems with your wisdom teeth, you can leave them alone. But if there are problems, it is better not to delay solving them, so that surgical intervention is not required.

You've probably noticed that figure eights are practically not involved in the process of chewing food, so the question of their necessity is completely obvious. However, these teeth perform a number of other functions:

• they are necessary as a support if a person is planning bridge prosthetics;
• these teeth restrain their “neighbors”, do not allow them to expand and spread to the sides;
• If an elderly person loses a lot of teeth, it is the eights that partially take over the function of chewing.

Thus, a wisdom tooth is something like a backup player who is always ready to help.

Is it worth removing a wisdom tooth?

We figured out what a wisdom tooth is for. But why is it sometimes advised to remove it if it is so necessary?

The fact is that it is very rare now that eights grow up completely healthy and do not cause any problems. Removing the figure eight is necessary for the following reasons:

• The tooth grows incorrectly (at an angle). In this position, it injures the mucous membrane;
• There is not enough space in the jaw. In this case, the tooth either remains seated in the gum, causing constant pain, or moves away its neighbors and disrupts the bite;
• It is planned to install braces. In this case, the wisdom tooth will interfere;
• The tooth is severely damaged by caries. Due to the fact that it is very difficult to get to it, usually caries in this case is not treated, but simply gets rid of the diseased tooth;
• pericoronitis develops. This is a disease in which the gums around the tooth swell and pus forms due to stuck food particles and an abundance of microbes.

Of course, if you are lucky enough to become the happy owner of healthy eights, then there is no need to simply remove them.

Now you know for sure whether wisdom teeth are needed. Take good care of these teeth, but if any problems arise, do not avoid having them removed. Seek help from an experienced specialist who will perform the operation carefully and without complications.

“, and in the scientific language of dentists, “third molars” or “eights” significantly add to our troubles - it’s rare that anyone can boast of trouble-free eruption and excellent health of these teeth. Why is this happening? What to do with these teeth - treat them or remove them, as doctors often advise?

Antonina Kamyshenkova / “Health-Info”

Adults, as we know, have 32 teeth, but only 28 teeth take an active part in chewing food, that is, all except four wisdom teeth, which are located at the very edge of the jaw (both upper and lower). They appear later than others, from about 16 to 25 years old, and their name, apparently, symbolizes a person’s entry into adulthood, although as we know, the concept of “adult” is not at all identical to the concept of “smart” and even more so “wise.” But, one way or another, these teeth begin to erupt far from a tender age, and this eruption sometimes “hangs” for a couple of years, providing a person with the most different problems, which we will discuss below. By the way, why do these teeth need to be born at all?

Well, it’s precisely with the function of these teeth that much is unclear. In fact, wisdom teeth can be considered a kind of rudiment, because they do not participate in any way in grinding food. Today, approximately half of the Earth's population no longer has these teeth, and this gives rise to the idea that in the distant or near future, none of us will have them at all.

Now the following hypothesis prevails: once upon a time a person needed all 32 strong and healthy teeth to chew hard and tough foods. Today, the need for this has disappeared; we began to consume refined and processed foods that are easy to chew with 28 teeth. At the same time, the jaw itself atrophied somewhat, that is, decreased, but the size of the teeth remained the same. So, for our long-suffering third molars there is really neither place nor, in fact, work. Therefore, a whole list of problems awaits us with them.

• They often grow crookedly or even across the jaw.
• They erupt for a very long time, and while they are “sitting” under the gum, they already have time to get initial caries.
• The gums around them become swollen and painful, which often requires the help of a surgeon.
• The development of caries, even if these teeth come out in good condition, their distant location contributes - they do not always get high-quality cleaning.
• Often caries spreads to the adjacent molar due to the fact that the space between these teeth is also difficult to clean.
• Carious wisdom teeth are difficult to treat, again because of their location, and carious processes in them develop faster. This is how imperfect treatment or ignoring the symptoms of caries quickly leads to pulpitis - inflammation of the dental nerve.
• Poor-quality treatment of pulpitis, when it is not completely cured, but the tooth is filled, the patient faces new problems, for example, periodontitis - the root membrane of the tooth and the tissues adjacent to it.
• If the teeth are healthy, but just take a long time to erupt, that’s also not good. This means the accumulation of plaque and food debris in the gum pocket, which in turn provokes halitosis (bad breath) and gum inflammation (gingivitis).
• It’s even worse if the tooth has not fully erupted, that is, it has come out halfway and does not want to grow further. Again, plaque accumulates between the swollen gum and the tooth, which provokes a “hood” of the gum in which the tooth sits. If the process is ignored, it entails the spread of inflammation to the periosteum of the jaw (), in rare cases, to the bone itself (osteomyelitis).
• Since there is not enough space for the wisdom tooth, it puts pressure on the adjacent molar, destroying its enamel.
• A wisdom tooth that does not erupt for a long time can cause pain along the way. trigeminal nerve, spreading to the ear, neck, throat.

As you can see, the overall outlook is bleak. And that is why, when complaints arise from the “eight” (and they occur in 80% of people), doctors prefer to remove the wisdom tooth rather than waste time on its treatment. This is the most radical way to get rid of the problems that exist today and that threaten in the future.

A few words in defense of the “eights”

As we see, the disadvantages and side effects The eruption of wisdom teeth belongs to the most physical sphere: we do not use them, and they cause us a lot of trouble. But there is another point of view that illuminates this issue from the point of view of metaphysical medicine. And the most striking theory in defense of wisdom teeth belongs to Reinhold Voll, a German doctor, the founder of a treatment method based on Chinese and the effects of electrical pulse devices. As we know, acupuncture is based on the existence of 12 energy meridians in the human body, each of which connects many organs and systems. Just according to Voll, wisdom teeth cannot be removed in any way, because they are directly connected with the human psyche, just as each specific tooth is connected with a specific organ. This is how it turns out that tooth diseases are a signal of a disease of the organ with which it is connected. Is it possible that the diseases of the “eights” also signal our psycho-emotional problems, we just, without knowing it, go and tear them out? Who knows... either way it's food for thought.

By the way, indirect confirmation that with wisdom teeth not everything is so simple can be obtained if we turn to beliefs different nations. Both the Slavs, the Germans, and the North American Indians have beliefs that with the appearance of these teeth, a person achieves his spiritual maturity and wisdom, and therefore acquires the protection of his ancestors - the guardians of the clan. With the removal of each tooth, this protection weakens, and a person without a single wisdom tooth was considered “open to all winds” and misfortunes, because there was no one to protect him.

The most pragmatic and simple argument in favor is that in old age, when our teeth fall apart one after another, sometimes the miraculously preserved “eight” is the very thing that will support the entire dental bridge.

In any case, you should not remove these teeth if they do not bother you. Yes, yes, this happens! But if it has become completely impossible to preserve them and you spend a third of your life at the dentist, it’s probably worth parting with them. Maybe the ancestors will be offended, but what to do...