What are "wisdom teeth?"
 Wisdom teeth "Wisdom teeth" are a type of molar
Molars are the chewing teeth found furthest in the back of the mouth. Most humans have first, second, and third molars. A person's third molars are their wisdom teeth. These teeth come in behind the 2nd molars (if there is room for them and they are aligned properly) usually during a person's late teens or early twenties. Usually there are four wisdom teeth: upper left, upper right, lower left, and lower right. In dental terminology an "impacted tooth" refers to a tooth that has failed to emerge fully into its expected position.
This failure to erupt properly may occur either because there is not room enough in the jaw for the tooth, or because the angulation of the tooth is improper. Dentists use specific terms to describe the positioning of impacted wisdom teeth. The most common type of impacted wisdom tooth is one that is impacted mesially. The term "mesial" simply means that the wisdom tooth is angled forward, toward the front of the mouth. In addition to mesially, vertically, horizontally, and distally impacted, wisdom teeth can also be classified as soft tissue or bony impactions. The term "bony" impaction indicates that the wisdom tooth is still fully encased in the jaw's bone. A "soft tissue" impaction is one where the upper portion of a wisdom tooth (the tooth's crown) has penetrated through the bone, but has not yet erupted fully through the gums.
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