<P> Although formally known as third molars , the common name is wisdom teeth because they appear so late -- much later than the other teeth , at an age where people are presumably `` wiser '' than as a child , when the other teeth erupt . The term probably came as a translation of the Latin dens sapientiae . Their eruption has been known to cause dental issues for centuries ; it was noted at least as far back as Aristotle : </P>
<P> Although formally known as third molars , the common name is wisdom teeth because they appear so late -- much later than the other teeth , at an age where people are presumably `` wiser '' than as a child , when the other teeth erupt . The term probably came as a translation of the Latin dens sapientiae . Their eruption has been known to cause dental issues for centuries ; it was noted at least as far back as Aristotle : </P>
where does the term wisdom teeth come from
where does the term wisdom teeth come from
because they appear so late -- much later than the other teeth , at an age where people are presumably `` wiser '' than as a child , when the other teeth erupt
because they appear so late -- much later than the other teeth , at an age where people are presumably `` wiser '' than as a child , when the other teeth erupt