Removing tooth 17: dry socket and nerve risks
Dry socket. Dry socket happens mainly after lower molars are removed, usually wisdom teeth. It follows about 3% of routine extractions, but the rate can top 30% after an impacted lower wisdom tooth comes out.
Close to a nerve. The nerve that gives feeling to the lower lip and chin runs close to lower wisdom tooth roots. The NHS lists numbness or tingling in the tongue, lips or chin as a possible risk of removal; it usually improves.
Coronectomy. When the roots sit very close to that nerve, a surgeon may remove only the crown and leave the roots. Reviews link this with less nerve injury, but a higher chance of needing a second procedure.
Watching instead. A wisdom tooth that causes no problems is usually left in place and checked at routine visits.
The same tooth on the right side, tooth 32, has its own section on gum infection and harm to the tooth in front.
Where is tooth 17?
Tooth 17 is the very last tooth at the back of your lower jaw on your left side: the eighth tooth from the middle, behind the 12-year molar. Some wisdom teeth never fully come through, and some people never develop this tooth at all.
In a mirror, tooth 17 shows on the left side of your reflection. Someone looking into your mouth sees it on their right.
In front of it (toward the middle) is tooth 18, the lower left second molar. No tooth sits behind it.
Its mirror twin on the right side is tooth 32. The tooth in the same spot in the upper jaw is tooth 16, the upper left wisdom tooth.
Dental charts show the patient's right side on the left, so tooth 17 sits at the far right end of the bottom row. The numbers then drop to the lower jaw: lower left teeth run from 17 (the wisdom tooth) to 24 (the front tooth).
When to call a dentist about tooth 17
If tooth 17 hurts, feels loose, or the gum around it swells, the Dental Emergency Checker can help you decide how soon to see a dentist. Swelling that spreads to the eye or neck, or makes it hard to breathe or swallow, is an emergency: call 911.
When does tooth 17 come in?
The lower wisdom teeth usually come in at 17–21 years according to the ADA chart. The AAPD chart gives 17–30 years.
The NHS says wisdom teeth usually start coming through in the teens or early 20s. By age 21, all 32 adult teeth have usually come in (ADA), though some wisdom teeth never fully come through.
In the ADA chart, they are among the last to come in, along with the upper wisdom teeth. In the AAPD's 13-step order, from the first molars (step 1) to the wisdom teeth (step 13), they are step 13.
Under the gum, according to the AAPD chart, it starts to harden (calcify) at about 8–10 years of age.
How many roots does tooth 17 have?
Usually 2 roots, often fused together and curved.
What does a wisdom tooth do?
Wisdom teeth are third molars. When they come in straight and have room, they chew like any other molar. Some people never develop some or all of their wisdom teeth, and the ones that do form vary in size and shape.
A meta-analysis of 63,314 people found that about 23% are missing at least one wisdom tooth, with lower wisdom teeth missing less often than upper ones. Removing lower wisdom teeth is a common operation. Short-term pain, swelling and a stiff jaw are usual; infection, dry socket and nerve injury are less frequent.
Tooth 17 in FDI and Palmer notation
| System | Tooth 17 is written | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Universal (ADA, used in the US) | 17 | Adult teeth are numbered 1–32 around the mouth, starting at the upper right wisdom tooth. |
| FDI / ISO 3950 (international) | 38 | First digit 3 = lower left quarter; second digit 8 = eighth tooth from the middle. Said "three-eight". |
| Palmer | ┌8 (often typed LL8) | The ┌ bracket marks the lower left quarter; 8 = eighth tooth from the middle. |
"17" in FDI is a different tooth. Read as an FDI code, 17 means the upper right second molar (tooth 2 in Universal). Charts and X-ray reports from outside the US often use FDI, so check which system is in use.
"38" can only be FDI. Universal numbers stop at 32, so a tooth 38 on any chart is this tooth.
Palmer needs the bracket. Every quarter of the mouth has a tooth 8 in Palmer notation; only the ┌ (or the letters LL) makes it this one.
All adult teeth in the lower left quarter
From the front of the mouth to the back:
| Universal | FDI | Palmer | Tooth |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | 31 | ┌1 (LL1) | Central incisor |
| 23 | 32 | ┌2 (LL2) | Lateral incisor |
| 22 | 33 | ┌3 (LL3) | Canine |
| 21 | 34 | ┌4 (LL4) | First premolar |
| 20 | 35 | ┌5 (LL5) | Second premolar |
| 19 | 36 | ┌6 (LL6) | First molar |
| 18 | 37 | ┌7 (LL7) | Second molar |
| 17 | 38 | ┌8 (LL8) | Wisdom tooth (this tooth) |
The Tooth Number Chart & Converter converts any tooth between the three systems.
Tools for tooth 17
- Wisdom Teeth & Extraction tools: recovery, dry socket and aftercare tools.
- Wisdom Teeth Recovery Tracker: day-by-day healing after removal.
- Dry Socket Checker: symptoms vs normal healing; dry socket is far more common after lower wisdom teeth.
- When Can I…? After a Tooth Extraction: when you can eat, use a straw or exercise.
- Dental Emergency Checker: how soon to see a dentist if it hurts or breaks.
- Dental Treatment Plan Decoder: plain English for treatment-plan shorthand like "#30 MOD comp".
Frequently asked questions
What tooth is number 17?
What is FDI tooth 38 in the US system?
Does everyone have tooth 17?
How common is dry socket after tooth 17 is removed?
Sources
- American Dental Association (MouthHealthy). Permanent Tooth Development (eruption chart). 2012. Accessed October 26, 2026.
- American Dental Association (MouthHealthy). Eruption Charts. Accessed October 26, 2026.
- American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. Dental Growth and Development (chronology after Logan & Kronfeld 1933, adapted 2003). Accessed October 26, 2026.
- World Health Organization. Oral health surveys: basic methods, 5th edition (tooth notation after ISO 3950). 2013. Accessed October 26, 2026.
- Nelson SJ. Elsevier. Wheeler's Dental Anatomy, Physiology and Occlusion, 11th edition. 2019.
- American Dental Association. ADA Dental Claim Form (tooth designation systems). Accessed October 26, 2026.
- Dentalcare.com (continuing education course CE500). An Overview of Dental Anatomy: Types of Teeth and their Functions. Accessed October 26, 2026.
- NHS (UK). Wisdom tooth removal. page reviewed 12 June 2024. Accessed October 26, 2026.
- Merck Manual Professional Edition. Postextraction Problems. full review August 2026. Accessed October 26, 2026.
- Carter K, Worthington S. Journal of Dental Research 94(7):886–894. Morphologic and Demographic Predictors of Third Molar Agenesis: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. 2015. Accessed October 26, 2026.
- Bailey E et al. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, CD004345. Surgical techniques for the removal of mandibular wisdom teeth. 2020. Accessed October 26, 2026.
- Peixoto AO et al. Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery 82(1):73–92. Benefits of Coronectomy in Lower Third Molar Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. 2024. Accessed October 26, 2026.
- Taberner-Vallverdú M, Sánchez-Garcés MÁ, Gay-Escoda C. Medicina Oral, Patología Oral y Cirugía Bucal 22(6):e750–e758. Efficacy of different methods used for dry socket prevention and risk factor analysis: A systematic review. 2017. Accessed October 26, 2026.
Last reviewed by the Dental Health Time editorial team, against the sources above. How we review.