What are molars and why do they need to be removed?
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Your molars are the large, flat teeth at the back of your mouth. Their purpose is to grind food, and they do the brunt of the work when chewing.
Wisdom teeth are the set of molars at the very back of your mouth. We remove them because they don’t stop growing out of the gum in most people, which can lead to them causing issues like shifting your other teeth around, or causing infections.
Molars are the flat, wide teeth towards the back of your mouth (as opposed to canines and incisors, the sharp/thin ones near the front). You use them to chew food.
Wisdom teeth are molars that start growing at the very back of your mouth during your 20s or 30s. How many wisdom teeth you’ll get is semi-random – most people will get four, but it’s also likely only a couple of them will come through.
Wisdom teeth often do not fit properly in your mouth. Either they come through at a wrong angle, don’t emerge properly, or otherwise cause problems. This means they are often removed.
Exactly how your dentist will deal with it depends on where you live and the particular whims of your dentist.
I have 2/4 wisdom teeth. One of them is perfectly fine, straight and has plenty of space, so is likely never going to be removed. The other is slightly iffy – hasn’t fully emerged and is partially hidden under the gum. My dentist is monitoring it to see if it causes problems. They may remove it later.
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