"Proactive" removal of DD's wisdom teeth...what would you do???

[eMd]

I'd get rid if them now. I held off on mine for a while after I was told I should get them out. They caused migraines and other issues.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

I am in my 50s... I still have the two wisdom teeth I came with (I apparently am lacking some wisdom as I only got 2 LOL!)

Mine have never caused any problems and I would not risk surgery just because "you might have an issue" (AKA as "your dentist might need money") I had a dentist suggest this once. I got a second opinion which was "HUH, WHY" (Needless to say I changed dentists!)

 

[cceandme]

Dentists / Doctors are no better than crooked mechanics these days. They give you 'medical advice' based primarily on what's good for their wallet -- not what's good for you. Don't be fooled.

If they're not giving her problems, why would you have unnecessary surgery??? May as well get her appendix and tonsils removes while you're at it. You know, because some day they could present problems... may as well be proactive about it!

I'd recommend getting a new dentist.

I've worked in the dental field for 19+ years. If the dentist is referring you to an oral surgeon he is not profiting from telling u to remove teeth. I have seen so many problems with adults getting wisdom teeth removed when they should have done it in their teens. And I don't profit from it either. I get an hourly wage if a patient is in my chair on not.

 

[angierae]

I am in my 50s... I still have the two wisdom teeth I came with (I apparently am lacking some wisdom as I only got 2 LOL!)

Mine have never caused any problems and I would not risk surgery just because "you might have an issue" (AKA as "your dentist might need money") I had a dentist suggest this once. I got a second opinion which was "HUH, WHY" (Needless to say I changed dentists!)

If they're impacted, they WILL cause problems. I had mine out in my mid-30's and it was a pain in the ***. My husband had his out in his early 40's and it involved multiple trips back to use BONE CUTTERS to get roots that didn't die back like they would in a younger person. It was a months-long process.

If they're impacted they need to come out. Whether or not they HURT right now isn't the issue - they will never come in normally and they will hurt later, there will be infections. I almost lost my back molar because the way the impacted wisdom tooth was half-erupted next to it, the tooth had a giant cavity that couldn't be seen until they pulled out the wisdom tooth.

My DD needs two out - two are coming in with enough room but two are not. Those two will be pulled as soon as we have an idea of what her summer schedule is going to be like (she's graduating next month and looking for a summer job.)

 

[cceandme]

If they're impacted, they WILL cause problems. I had mine out in my mid-30's and it was a pain in the ***. My husband had his out in his early 40's and it involved multiple trips back to use BONE CUTTERS to get roots that didn't die back like they would in a younger person. It was a months-long process.

If they're impacted they need to come out. Whether or not they HURT right now isn't the issue - they will never come in normally and they will hurt later, there will be infections. I almost lost my back molar because the way the impacted wisdom tooth was half-erupted next to it, the tooth had a giant cavity that couldn't be seen until they pulled out the wisdom tooth.

My DD needs two out - two are coming in with enough room but two are not. Those two will be pulled as soon as we have an idea of what her summer schedule is going to be like (she's graduating next month and looking for a summer job.)

Quick question. If your daughter has 2 that don't need to be extracted(which would be great)have you asked the dr about risks of leaving the other two.
couple things to ask him or her. will your daughter be able to keep them clean? (doing fillings on wisdom teeth sux.lol) and also if she doesn't have another tooth on opposite arch (not sure if the two shes removing are on same side or not) then she can have trouble with the remaining ones supra erupting. or erupting too far and that can lead to problems. Just some quick advice. good luck to her

 

[angierae]

Quick question. If your daughter has 2 that don't need to be extracted(which would be great)have you asked the dr about risks of leaving the other two.
couple things to ask him or her. will your daughter be able to keep them clean? (doing fillings on wisdom teeth sux.lol) and also if she doesn't have another tooth on opposite arch (not sure if the two shes removing are on same side or not) then she can have trouble with the remaining ones supra erupting. or erupting too far and that can lead to problems. Just some quick advice. good luck to her

She should have had jaw surgery, her overbite was so bad. Instead, we opted to pull two top teeth and move everything around and get her bite to about 80% of "normal". Because of that, they were able to make room for the upper wisdom teeth to come in. (She was part of this discussion. Her teeth look totally fine to a lay person now, and having the surgery would have cost us thousands and thousands of dollars on top of the $8k we paid in braces, since she would have needed braces both before and after the surgery. Plus, you know, the whole jaw surgery thing, which she was keen to avoid.) They are pretty much lined up with her bottom molars. Since we didn't do any major restructuring of her bottom jaw (just straightened the teeth with braces), there isn't room for the bottom ones to come in fully. Thus, they're coming out.

 

[jdcthree]

Our dentist say's that my DD, 18, should have all 4 (impacted) wisdom teeth removed to prevent future issues.

They are not causing any trouble now.

Any opinions? Should I put her through this, not to mention the cost, just because there is a potential for problems down the road?

If you trust your dentist, then yes. If not, it's time to find a dentist that you do trust and follow his/her recommendation.

There's a difference between wisdom teeth and impacted wisdom teeth. Have the dentist show you on x-rays what he or she is talking about. Impacted teeth are very easy to spot and cause major issues from crowding to TMJ.
Removing wisdom teeth is NOT the same thing as pulling molars for orthodontia, as one previous poster mentioned.
Every patient is different. While Joe Blow may be 70 and still have his wisdom teeth without problems, Betty Sleddy might not have any wisdom teeth at all and Sue Blue might have impacted wisdom teeth. Don't let another poster convince you that your child will be fine with or without the procedure because he or she is.
If you don't trust your dentist, find one you can trust and get his or her opinion. Most are honest but, like EVERY profession, there are exceptions

^^ This. ^^

 

[ilovemk76]

Get them out. I had mine out at 16 and DH at 30. Guess who had an easier time.

 

[Gina]

Mine were taken out when I was 19 because they were supposedly impacted and "before they cause any problems", and the recovery was SO horrible and painful if given the choice now I would let them grow straight out the sides of my face. Couldn't close my jaw all the way for a month, could only eat baby food, it was just awful. I'm sure my experience wasn't the norm, but it would take a LOT to convince me to ever put my DS through that.

 

[motherof2boys]

Didn't read other posts but I say get them out now!! My Dentist recommend mine be removed when I was 19. I had no Dental Insurance so I decided to wait until I did. I had them all removed at 21 & had to have braces AGAIN as an adult b/c they came in sideways & moved all my teeth. I had braces for 5 years as a child. (Long story horrible Orthodontist) Luckily for me I was married & Hubby had great dental so I had braces for a year at age 26.

 

[AnnaS]

My dd's pediatric dentist showed me my dd's x-rays and referred us to an oral surgeon a few months ago (we know one and love him and trust him also). She is 20 yrs. old (yes still goes to the pediatric dentist). Hers were impacted, growing sideways, one was giving her some pain, two not so much yet.

We went to the oral surgeon and he said they should come out - better now than later - one we had no choice. My dd said I don't do needles, (iv for anesthesia) and he told her that's not necessary and many oral surgeons recommend this also because of $$$. She also told him that she does not swallow pills. Again, no problem, liquid pain killers. She was fine afterward, a little pain and very little swelling (my co-pay for three wisdom teeth $1,000).

My son 25 also had three pulled out last year - should have used the same surgeon. He was fine but had to do it in two visits and after the first one came out - the side of his face was the size of a melon .

 

[KaylaR]

I just had mine taken out a couple months ago, worst pain of my life. I've had 2 kids, suffer from kidney stones, ect. Nothing was close to as bad as the recovery, and my face was swollen for close to two weeks. Just a warning, since everyone else I knew who had it done was fine the next day. I'd wait till they give her trouble, but either way I hope it works out just fine for you and her

 

[NeverlandClub23]

I was told when I was 18-19 I should have my wisdom teeth removed to prevent problems and overcrowding. I never did (I was a waitress living paycheck to paycheck with no dental insurance). I'm now 31 and luckily I haven't had any issues with them. They've all come in and my teeth are a bit more snug when I floss, but no major issues. My dentist now just keeps an eye on them when I go in every 6 months for my cleanings.

 

[burnurcomputer]

I had all of mine removed about ten years ago. I had significant decay at the base of all 4 teeth. The oral surgeon looked at them and told me that there wasn't any way that I *could* have prevented the decay. I was so embarrassed by it and felt a ton better when he said that

My dentist when I was younger (until my very late teens) said that I had plenty of room for my wisdom teeth.....wrong. It caused major shifting and crowding in my front. My two bottom front teeth are partially turned in and they were not like that before they came in. I can get braces or invisaline to make a cosmetic improvement, but I can justify the cost.

if you have any doubt about her dentists recommendation, get a 2nd opinion....but I'd just get them out now and avoid a ton of possible problems later. unless she is eating raw meat and lives like a cave person, she probably doesn't need them anyway!

 

[DizMe]

I don't really see why anyone would wait on impacted wisdom teeth if they can afford to have them out. It's possible that they would never cause any problem. However, that is extremely unlikely, so why take the chance? It's not a dangerous procedure and when you're young, it is usually an easy recovery. I'm not one to advocate unnecessary procedures, but impacted wisdom teeth have so much potential for causing misery down the road that I don't view it as unnecessary, even if they are not currently causing problems.

My parents waited until I was in my early 20s because my impacted wisdom teeth were not bothering me before then. I wish I'd had them out as a teen, when it was first brought up, because it was a lot more work getting them out when I was 21.

 

[emilymad]

I had two of my wisdom teeth out last summer. I was 33 then. One of the two teeth was bothering me. The oral surgeon agreed that I just needed to have the bottom two removed. The surgery itself was fine but apparently difficult because the one tooth had a sideways root. The recovery was painful. I ended up with dry socked which was extremely painful. Worst of all I now have TMJ as result of the surgery. Almost a year later I have to take muscle relaxers at night in order to not been in extreme pain every day. I had to get the teeth out but if I knew what I knew now I am not sure if I would have done it. I now have a probably lifelong condition because of it.

My brother had all 4 of his teeth out in his early 20's. He opted to not have general anethestia and had a horrific experience. He basically could feel everything they did. He also got very extreme dry socket. He was on percription pain meds for several weeks.

Every person reacts differently. Dentists and even the oral surgeons seems to say that getting your wisdom teeth is a no big deal thing. For most people it probably is. However, it is still surgery and needs to be considered carefully.

 

[jgreco]

DS19 year old had all 4 out and was completely unaffected by it. Didn't even take his pain meds after the 1st day.

My DH had his out last year, you'd think he had his jaw removed he was so swollen and in so much pain! Best to get them done when she is young.

 

[dawnhaze]

I had them all out at 15 years old because of the potential issues they could cause. I've had dental problems my whole life and didn't want more.

I had very little pain and no complications, and I was back at school the next day and eating normally a week later. My friends who've had it done as adults had more problems, so I'm glad I did it when I did.

 

[mm1971]

Our dentist say's that my DD, 18, should have all 4 (impacted) wisdom teeth removed to prevent future issues.

They are not causing any trouble now.

Any opinions? Should I put her through this, not to mention the cost, just because there is a potential for problems down the road?

Have them removed now. You don't want to wait until there are problems. I still have all 4 of mine and they won't touch them unless a problem arises due to risks. If they are impacted, there are risks of them getting infected, putting pressure on the other teeth. From what was explained to me, they would need to remove additional teeth to get at them now, where if it were done when I was younger it would have been a lot easier.

 

[ceecee]

Just make sure you are going to an oral surgeon vs a general dentist!