wisdom tooth - definition of wisdom tooth in the Medical dictionary - by the Free Online Medical Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia.

tooth (tooth) pl. teeth one of the hard, calcified structures set in the alveolar processes of the jaws for the biting and mastication of food.

Schematic cross section of an anterior (left) and a posterior (right) tooth in the maxilla.

accessional teeth those having no deciduous predecessors: the permanent molars.

artificial tooth one made of porcelain or other synthetic compound in imitation of a natural tooth.

auditory teeth of Huschke toothlike projections in the cochlea.

bicuspid tooth premolar t.

canine tooth , cuspid tooth the third tooth on either side from the midline in each jaw. Symbol C.

deciduous teeth primary teeth; the 20 teeth of the first dentition, which are shed and replaced by the permanent teeth.

eye tooth a canine tooth of the upper jaw.

Hutchinson's teeth notched, narrow-edged permanent incisors, sometimes but not always a sign of congenital syphilis.

impacted tooth one prevented from erupting by a physical barrier.

incisor tooth one of the four front teeth, two on each side of the midline, in each jaw. Symbol I.

milk teeth deciduous teeth.

molar tooth any of the posterior teeth on either side in each jaw, numbering three in the permanent dentition and two in the deciduous. Symbol M.

peg tooth , peg-shaped tooth a tooth whose sides converge or taper together incisally.

permanent teeth the 32 teeth of the second dentition.

premolar tooth bicuspid tooth; either of two permanent teeth found between the canine and molar teeth. Symbol P.

primary teeth deciduous teeth.

stomach tooth a canine tooth of the lower jaw.

successional teeth the permanent teeth that have deciduous predecessors.

temporary teeth deciduous teeth.

wisdom tooth the last molar tooth on either side in each jaw.

wis·dom tooth (w

The third molar tooth on both sides of each jaw that erupts from the 17th to the 23rd year.

Wisdom tooth

One of the four last teeth on the top and bottom rows of teeth. Also called a third molar.

Mentioned in: Impacted Tooth

wisdom tooth

Etymology: AS, wisdom + toth

a third molar; either of the last teeth on each side of the upper and lower jaw. The wisdom teeth are the last teeth to erupt, usually between 17 and 25 years of age, often causing considerable pain, dental problems, and the need for extraction. Formerly called dens serotinus. See also molar.

wisdom tooth,

n a colloquial term for the third molar tooth, the last tooth in each quadrant of each dental arch. It appears in the oral cavity at about 18 years of age.

Patient discussion about wisdom tooth.

Q. What are wisdom teeth? Why so many people talk about them and suffer from them?

A. Wisdom teeth are the third and final set of molars that most people get in their late teens or early twenties. Sometimes these teeth can be a valuable asset to the mouth when healthy and properly aligned, but more often, they are misaligned and require removal. Wisdom teeth present potential problems when they are misaligned – they can position themselves horizontally, be angled toward or away from the second molars or be angled inward or outward. Poor alignment of wisdom teeth can crowd or damage adjacent teeth, the jawbone, or nerves. Wisdom teeth that lean toward the second molars make those teeth more vulnerable to decay by entrapping plaque and debris. In addition, wisdom teeth can be entrapped completely within the soft tissue and/or the jawbone or only partially break through or erupt through the gum. For complete article: http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/guide/wisdom-teeth This one is good also: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wisdom_teeth Hope this helps.