Ah, wisdom teeth. It would be awesome if they erupted into your mouth unproblematically and brought you wisdom as their name suggests. But in reality, this is not usually what happens. These days, most people's mouths are too small for their wisdom teeth, which means they're best off having their wisdom teeth removed. Here are some questions you might have about that if you're a young adult who will need their wisdom teeth removed soon.

What are the signs you need your wisdom teeth removed?

Common signs that your wisdom teeth are problematic include aches in your jaw, soreness behind your last tooth, bleeding behind your last tooth, and headaches. You may or may not actually see a tooth trying to erupt behind your current last molar. Sometimes, wisdom teeth become impacted, which means that they get "stuck" in your jaw, partially under that last tooth. In this case, they may never erupt, but they'll likely cause the symptoms described here.

If you don't have symptoms, do you need to have your wisdom teeth removed?

This depends. In some cases, your lack of symptoms may mean you're one of the few people whose wisdom teeth will eventually come in without problems. In other cases, the lack of symptoms may mean you just haven't been bothered by the wisdom teeth yet. The best way to know is to have your mouth x-rayed. The dentist will be able to look at the x-rays and tell where your wisdom teeth are. They can tell, based on their position, whether you need them removed or not.

How are wisdom teeth extracted?

In most cases, wisdom teeth are removed with the patient under sedation and with local anesthesia. Your mouth will be numb, and while you'll be awake, you won't be very aware of what's going on. If your wisdom teeth are impacted, you may be given twilight anesthesia so you're basically asleep while the procedure is being carried out since it's a more invasive procedure.

Your dentist will use several tools, including a scalpel and an elevator, to remove the teeth. The socket will be left open to scab and heal on its own. You'll have to avoid crunchy foods for a week or two as you heal.

Hopefully, this article has cleared up a few things about wisdom tooth extraction and why it is often needed. Talk to a dentist in your area to learn more about wisdom teeth removal.