Wisdom
teeth erupt into the
mouth after
puberty. In
dental parlance, they are called
third molars, because that's exactly what they are. Your
six-year molars are your
first molars, and your
twelve-year molars are your
second molars.
They are often
extracted because of problems with
occlusion and the
difficulty associated with
plaque control so far back in the mouth. A
dentist can perform a more routine extraction, but more difficult
cases require an
oral surgeon, who is better able to deal with, for example, widely
divergent roots or other more severely
impacted teeth.