• A dentist can diagnose impacted wisdom teeth.dentist 07 image by Dragan Bombek from Fotolia.com
  
  Wisdom teeth are the four molars that grow in the very back of the mouth. On each side of the mouth, there is one wisdom tooth on the top row of teeth and one on the bottom. They don't start growing in until a person is in the late teens or early 20s. When wisdom teeth do start growing, there is often not enough room in a person's mouth for them to grow the right way, so they become impacted or stuck and may need to be surgically removed.
  
  

Pain

• Wisdom teeth may be impacted if you experience pain with your back teeth. This pain may occur when your mouth is empty and may get worse while chewing food or when cold or hot liquid passes over the teeth.
  
  

Damaged Gums

• If the gums that surround the teeth are red, swollen or bleeding, or if the gums hurt, the wisdom teeth may be impacted. This gum irritation may occur all the over mouth but be most severe at the back of the mouth.
  
  

Infection

• If wisdom teeth don't grow all the way in, there can be a space left open in the gums. Bacteria can then get in and cause an infection called pericoronitis. When this infection occurs, you may experience mouth pain, headaches, bad breath or a bad taste in your mouth.
  
  

Teeth at Angles

• Wisdom teeth should grow in straight like the rest of the teeth. However, they may need to be removed if they grow in at angles. A wisdom tooth will probably need to be removed if it is pointing toward the tooth next to it or toward the back of the mouth or is perpendicular to or lying down on the jawbone. Allowing the teeth to continue pointing in the wrong direction can cause damage to surrounding teeth. You should be able to tell if the teeth are coming in the wrong way using your tongue or fingers to feel the wisdom teeth.
  
  

Cyst Growth

• Sometimes a sac of fluid, or a cyst, can grow around the area where a wisdom tooth grows in. This can happen when the tooth is partially grown through the gums or even before the tooth has started to come through. The tooth may still need to be extracted from inside the gums if this cyst appears, because it can permanently damage the jawbone or the roots of the teeth.