Wisdom teeth removal - Am I just making my dentist richer???

[mtblujeans]

You don't know what pain is until you've experienced an impacted wisdom tooth

I'll go one step further in agreeing with this one: pain is when you wait for an impacted wisdom tooth to hurt AND THEN have it pulled out.

 

[windycitymom]

I brought it up to our dentist when my son was 16 1/2 because our dental insurance was going to end in a few months. He agreed it could be done and wrote up the request to the oral surgeon. My older two had their wisdom out (and I had mine out) so I knew it was a matter of time. We only paid $200 out of pocket instead of $1700 (or something like that).

I know teens who had to get braces again because their wisdom teeth caused their front teeth to shift. It's best to get the wisdom teeth out before they cause a problem. When you are older, the roots are longer and tougher so it hurts more to take them out. If you have insurance, why not get them out? It's a preventative measure.

 

[LoveDopey]

I had my top 2 removed at age 45 by an oral surgeon. It was the most horrendous experience of my life and I have to say I would rather give birth to an elephant.

My situation was the bottom 2 came through and were removed by my dentist in my 20's due to crowding. During a routine x-ray at 45 they found a cyst around one of the top ones. Apparently this becomes quite common but they are rarely cancerous. The oral surgeon told me that the roots of your wisdom teeth don't stop growing and with when you have a cyst it can burst causing your jaw to break. Then they have to extract the teeth and repair the jaw. He also told me he's had 80 year olds with their root in their neck.

Having experienced this and sufferign for 4 weeks and 23 lbs lighter, I am making sure my kids have theirs removed while they are still on my coverage. The surgery in your teens apparently is a breeze. In your 40's it is beyond belief. Percocet only numbed the pain a little. I also ended up with an infection so had to go in a week after the initial surgery and have that cleaned and packed. I won't share the rest because it was awful!!!

 

[Ackermom]

Our dentist had been talking to us for a long time to get my son and daughter's wisdom teeth removed. My son had a cyst forming around one of his teeth, and so we decided to go ahead and they both had all four wisdom teeth removed at the same time! Not pleasant! They were 17 and 18 at the time, but, being young, they healed quickly. We just felt like a lot of you that it was best to have it done while they were on our insurance. Good call!