Wisdom teeth are usually the last teeth to show through the gums when people are in their late teens or early twenties. If the back of the jaw doesn’t have enough space for the wisdom teeth to come through, as is sometimes the case, the teeth become wedged in, or ‘impacted’. Some impacted teeth may cause severe problems such as cysts, cavities, damage to nearby molars and pain, while others may remain buried and cause no trouble.
Sometimes as the wisdom teeth emerge, an infection can occur in the gum immediately surrounding the tooth. This infection is a result of plaque and bacteria becoming trapped between the tooth and the surrounding gum and requires prompt treatment.