I came across this article in a Luxembourg newspaper which really seems odd. Is it possible to “grow” a wisdom tooth at 92? The article did not elaborate further, only talking about getting into the Guinness World Records. Checking up the Guinness website yielded the following:
As it turned out, it is not so much “growing” a wisdom tooth but rather, a case of late eruption of the tooth. Wisdom teeth typically erupts into the mouth between late teens and early twenties, hence the term “wisdom” because this is the supposed age when one becomes a young adult and presumably, “wise”, which is debatable but that’s another story. So, for this lady, why did the wisdom tooth take so long to surface?
Wisdom teeth are the last teeth to erupt into the mouth. The age of eruption varies quite a bit. Some children as young as 12 may experience wisdom teeth breaking through the gum while others may not see their wisdom teeth even after 92. There are some who are lucky enough not to have wisdom teeth at all, though these are the rare minority.
Wisdom teeth are also called third molars. The first molar is the first “adult” tooth to erupt and typically at about age 6. This is followed by the incisors, the premolars and canines. Eruption of the “adult” teeth causes loosening of the “baby” teeth, which eventually drop off on their own. “Adult” molar teeth are unique in that they are not a replacement for the “baby” molars. They actually have no “baby” predecessor. It is the premolars that replaces the “baby” molars. The second molar is usually the second last tooth to erupt into the mouth, usually around the age of 10-12. By this time, all the “baby” teeth would have dropped off and the full complement of “adult” teeth would have emerged, less the wisdom teeth. With 28 teeth, the young teenager can eat and chew like an adult.
The third molar, ie the wisdom tooth continue to develop inside the jaw bone until about age 18, by which time, the continuing formation of its roots pushes it out through the bone and gum. At this point, all the available space in the jaw would have been taken up by the earlier 28 teeth and the wisdom tooth gets stuck ie impacted against the second molar. This can cause a myriad of problems.
However, there are wisdom teeth that do not erupt at all. These wisdom teeth are deeply impacted within the bone. They usually do not cause any problem and can go unnoticed throughout life. So, why did Ingeborg Wolf-Wimmer’s wisdom tooth decide to erupt at age 92? The article reported that the wisdom tooth was causing problems with her denture. By that, we know that she has lost some teeth if not all. Dentures typically rest on the gum and long term wearing of dentures causes resorption of the jaw bone. As the jaw bone shrinks down, the wisdom tooth begins to surface and eventually breaks through the gum. When that happens, the tooth will affect the fit of the denture resulting in instability of the denture.
Should Ms Wolf-Wimmer remove her wisdom tooth? If there is no infection or cyst associated with the tooth, it should not be removed. Instead a new denture should be made. Removal of wisdom tooth is a relatively simple surgery in young patients but in the elderly, it can have significant morbidity due to the more brittle nature of the bone, the diminished healing ability, and concomittant systemic illnesses that tend to afflict older people. Some times, adjusting to a new denture that avoids the wisdom teeth may be challenging for an older person. To stabilize loose dentures, a couple of dental implants can be placed to help retain the denture.
the same is happening to me I never grew any wisdom teeth at all on the bottom and had two in the jaw bone at the top and i will be 63 in a couple weeks and over time I have had to have teeth removed for a myriad of reasons and I'm thinking that because of the space now made and shifting of teeth over time that the tooth had room to grow out of the jaw and gums it is growing in quite slowly but it's definitely the ridges of the surface of a tooth, my family thinks I'm crazy, my daughter 33,, thinks it's a riot and wants to bring me to her dentist just to show him, but this was quite an interesting story and I only came upon it when looking for articles about growing wisdom teeth later in life, to show it can happen. thank you ..
My husband was hit in the chest with a baseball when he was a child. He passed out but recovered. Turns out at the age of 59 he had an anortic aneurysm which needed repair. He had no risk factors and normal blood pressure. I think the baseball injured his aorta and he had been walking around with this aneurysm since the incident. A year after the surgical repair, his wisdom teeth erupted. His beard also grows faster than it did prior to the repair. Interesting to know if anyone else has had wisdom teeth erupt in their 60's.
Yes I have a wisdom tooth erupt recently
Back right of mouth behind and lower than all teeth. It's really just a nub pointed nub but is creating havic with my tounge. It stays so raw it is hard to swallow. It is so low and far back I have been unable to see it.
I'm heading towards 62 years old and have just found I am growing another tooth behind my top wisdom tooth. Bit of a shock to say the least.
59 yrs old and am dealing with a new upper wisdom tooth too!
I am 66 and currently have a wisdom tooth poking through. I haven't yet seen a dentist as it has just occurred.
I just got my bottom left wisdom tooth emerging at 60, A few months ago the back molar was broken and Very painful and needed to be removed, Now I have a wisdom tooth comming through, amazed my 82 year old mother too ?
I am 80 and I have a upper left wisdom tooth growing I thought it was food that was stuck on my gums
I am 34 soon to be 35 Feb.12, and I have all four of my wisdom teeth fully erupted. Have not yet lost any teeth. I did feel the pain when they erupted, I took the pain and brushed and floss keeping it clean as best I could during eruption. I have no infection, no pain, but I have been thinking of getting them pulled and been researching. Then came upon this article.
My sister (62) and niece (42) have both recently been told that they have newly developed wisdom teeth coming in despite having a lifetime of X-rays with no sign of them. (Different dentist, different provinces) They were told that it is not terribly unusual and they can develop anytime.
I turned 60 in March and I just discovered a top wisdom tooth pushing through.
Hi everyone, I am 71 and have a wisdom tooth erupting. I was shocked as I had wisdom teeth removed when I was younger. It is extremely painful. I never realised they could erupt at such a late age.
1 am a man coming up to 83years old,& have just discovered,today,that I have a wisdom tooth,onbottom jaw,coming through,keep putting my tongue in it.