{"id":598,"date":"2026-08-13T22:55:34","date_gmt":"2026-08-13T22:55:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.parkerdentalandortho.com\/blog\/?p=598"},"modified":"2026-08-27T22:58:04","modified_gmt":"2026-08-27T22:58:04","slug":"wisdom-teeth-how-old","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.parkerdentalandortho.com\/blog\/wisdom-teeth-how-old\/","title":{"rendered":"My Wisdom Teeth Really Hurt; Am I Too Old to Have Them Removed?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The wisdom teeth are the third and final set of adult molars most people will receive in their lives, and they once served the important purpose of pulverizing the coarse, raw animal and plant manner our ancient ancestors ate into a pulp that was easy to digest. However, many people today find that these teeth cause a lot of problems, and some may wonder if they are too old to have their third molars extracted. Thankfully, wisdom tooth extractions can be safely performed at any age, so here\u2019s a quick look at why wisdom teeth sometimes need to be removed<\/a> and what the process can look like for older patients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Why Do Wisdom Teeth Need to Be Removed?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Modern jawbones are much smaller than those of ancient humans due to how developments in cooking have made food easier to chew and digest. Not everyone will need their wisdom teeth removed, and, interestingly, people who eat coarser foods in early childhood may be more likely not to need to have them extracted. The wisdom teeth typically begin to emerge in a person\u2019s late teens or early twenties, and they can cause a host of unpleasant issues like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n