Wisdom tooth removal

[Anonymous]

Is this the thing now for all teens?

DD has been through years of orthodontia, and now one wisdom tooth has erupted. She has no pain or swelling.
X rays done at the dentist supposedly show impaction.

We went for a surgical consult and of course extraction of all 4 is recommended.
I've read the literature and understand that for a true impaction , extraction is needed.

But part of me is resistant to this: I never had mine removed. DH had his removed in his 20's.
The surgeon claims that if we don't get them out soon, we run the risk of infection.
I had orthodontia as a child and my wisdom teeth were fine, still have them and no problems.
I thought one of the reasons for braces is to make room for the wisdom teeth?

I kind of feel like we are being put on a conveyor belt. Of course I want to do what is best for my child, but why the big rush?
Any experiences or input appreciated!

[Anonymous]

100% get them done if you paid for orthodontics. Most wisdom teeth will mess up the alignment of other teeth.

DH doesn't have his done and we watch them closely to make sure they don't have bone cancer, infections or are moving.

[Anonymous]

I'm only one data point, but I have all of my wisdom teeth (I'm in my mid-forties) and they haven't caused any trouble.

I did not need orthodontia, however.

[Anonymous]

I say don't do it unless it is really needed!!!! Or, if you really want to do it, make sure you go to a top dentist (see link below). I had a wisdom tooth surgically extracted, it was supposed to be super simple, however, I ended up with nerve damage and can't feel half of my mouth. There are risks, but they are not really discussed after the fact. Please be careful and don't just listed to your dentist, sometimes I feel like health provides are on auto-pilot.

http://www.ccomfs.com/washington-dc-oral-surgeon/oral-surgeon-dr-ryan.aspx

[Anonymous]

I don't think it's a new "thing". I had mine out in high school and I'm 39. My husband also had his out in high school.

[Anonymous]

No op, wisdom teeth are not the reason for braces.

Get a 2nd opinion, but your wisdom teeth should be extracted. They were helpful centuries ago when thete was no such thing as dental hygiene and molars and teeth broke/removed so having an extra set (wisdom teeth) come into play was great. Niw, not so much. They misalign teeth, hard to brush and keep clean (so likely to get cavities), etc.

[Anonymous]

I'm like you op. I am fighting my dc's dentist/orthodontist on this one. I never had mine removed and I hear the same "oooo they can blow up on you at any time" crap from the dentists office. I disagree. Mine are so close to my facial nerve that good dentists have said they should not be touched.

I spent a lot of time reading after talking to my dc's dentist and found lots of research supporting NOT removing them. I think it is a very uncommon thing to do outside of the US.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:100% get them done if you paid for orthodontics. Most wisdom teeth will mess up the alignment of other teeth.

DH doesn't have his done and we watch them closely to make sure they don't have bone cancer, infections or are moving.

The bone cancer bit is bull. You are just as likely to have an infection or problem from any of your molars as you are your wisdom teeth.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm like you op. I am fighting my dc's dentist/orthodontist on this one. I never had mine removed and I hear the same "oooo they can blow up on you at any time" crap from the dentists office. I disagree. Mine are so close to my facial nerve that good dentists have said they should not be touched.

I spent a lot of time reading after talking to my dc's dentist and found lots of research supporting NOT removing them. I think it is a very uncommon thing to do outside of the US.

Ask older people about this. My dad had his out when he was near 30 and it wrecked his teeth. He has trouble with his bite now because they messed it up. Americans have much better teeth than the rest of the world and they're much straighter. The rest of the world doesn't care as much about straight teeth. I assume OP does though because she paid for braces.

I'm nearing 30, but most of my classmates had them out when we were juniors/seniors in hs.

[Anonymous]

I'm 42 and need to have 3 of mine out. They are moving my teeth and one is partially erupted and difficult to clean, and has a cavity.

My brother is a Marine and they made him have his out before he deployed because they don't want them suddenly causing problems.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is this the thing now for all teens?

DD has been through years of orthodontia, and now one wisdom tooth has erupted. She has no pain or swelling.
X rays done at the dentist supposedly show impaction.

We went for a surgical consult and of course extraction of all 4 is recommended.
I've read the literature and understand that for a true impaction , extraction is needed.

But part of me is resistant to this: I never had mine removed. DH had his removed in his 20's.
The surgeon claims that if we don't get them out soon, we run the risk of infection.
I had orthodontia as a child and my wisdom teeth were fine, still have them and no problems.
I thought one of the reasons for braces is to make room for the wisdom teeth?

I kind of feel like we are being put on a conveyor belt. Of course I want to do what is best for my child, but why the big rush?
Any experiences or input appreciated!

If you get one out get the all out. It is very hard to brush back there for some people and later in life it becomes an issue. Also there should be balance because that can also cause problems if the teeth are not aligned. Do it now and save the teen dental problems down the road.

[Anonymous]

I had mine out in high school and I'm 43. I think the concern is that if you let them come in, they'll push the other teeth forward. I'd go ahead and do it now.

[Anonymous]

I swear these are all oral surgeons and their staff writing these posts. Mine are in and haven't caused any problems. I'm approaching 60.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I swear these are all oral surgeons and their staff writing these posts. Mine are in and haven't caused any problems. I'm approaching 60.

You're an exception, not the norm.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I swear these are all oral surgeons and their staff writing these posts. Mine are in and haven't caused any problems. I'm approaching 60.

Nope but someone who is dealing with impacted wisdom teeth later in life. One was removed in college and now wish I had them all removed at the same time but was advised not to because they weren't causing problems then.