Extracted wisdom tooth. Close-up of an upper wisdom tooth that has been extracted from a patient's jaw and gum. The tooth shows signs of granulation, the build up of tartar formed from salts in the saliva around the gum line. Wisdom teeth are the third and last set of molars to emerge in the mouth. In many cases wisdom teeth are unable to emerge fully from the gum due to lack of available space. This may cause severe pain and usually results in their removal.