Wisdom teeth removal = legal and encouraged child abuse?

[maxiesmom]

Sure she was being dramatic but she had been in near constant pain for four days, unable to open her mouth, unable to eat, I'll cut her some slack on the drama.

It was not pleasant watching what she had to go through and as a voluntary but heavily doctor and parent pressured procedure with no ability to know for sure if in the long run it even provides any benefit I am not sure how I should handle my son in a few years when the doctors start down the same path.

Do you plan on challenging any medical procedure that is uncomfortable???

If you have so little faith in your dentist or doctor, find new ones.

 

[bgirl29]

Sure she was being dramatic but she had been in near constant pain for four days, unable to open her mouth, unable to eat, I'll cut her some slack on the drama.

It was not pleasant watching what she had to go through and as a voluntary but heavily doctor and parent pressured procedure with no ability to know for sure if in the long run it even provides any benefit I am not sure how I should handle my son in a few years when the doctors start down the same path.

If your dentist or orthodontist recommends your son have his wisdom teeth taken out why don't you have them explain why they believe they need to come out? They can most likely show you on his x-rays why they are recommending the removal.

 

[kdonnel]

Do you plan on challenging any medical procedure that is uncomfortable???

If you have so little faith in your dentist or doctor, find new ones.

I always question the need for medical procedures. At their core doctors are just highly educated guessers and people. They do not always have your best interest in mind when suggesting a procedure.

https://hub.jhu.edu/2017/09/06/unneeded-medical-care-hopkins-survey/

From the above article:

Breaking down the types of unnecessary medical care, survey respondents reported that 22 percent of prescription medications, 24.9 percent of medical tests, 11.1 percent of procedures, and 20.6 percent of overall medical care delivered is unnecessary. The median response for physicians who perform unnecessary procedures for profit motive was 16.7 percent.

The top three reasons cited for overuse of resources were fear of malpractice (84.7 percent), patient pressure/request (59 percent), and difficulty accessing prior medical records (38.2 percent).

 

[Princessclab]

Wouldn't mom and dad be the experts? Wouldn't THE best expectation and knowledge of wisdom teeth come from the parents? Surely the only possibility of how someone's dental health will unfold is determined by the parents' experience because that's absolutely how genetics works.

Was this meant to be tongue in cheek, I can't tell?
Only if mom and dad are dentists are they experts. How would any parent know this unless they were told by well educated experts?
Did the parents ask the rationale for the removal recommendation? If not, why not; anyone should for any surgical procedure.
Ask questions until you understand why. Say no if you want another opinion. I do know they no longer just take them out just because.

 

[smiths02]

Do you plan on challenging any medical procedure that is uncomfortable???

If you have so little faith in your dentist or doctor, find new ones.

I'm also wondering why she couldn't open her mouth for four days. It may just be her reaction, it may also be that the oral surgeon was not the best.
I had a dentist that was unnecessarily rough in my mouth before while filling a cavity. I heard the assistant try to tell him something, and his response was "She can't feel it, the area is numb." Yeah, but the area was not going to be numb forever!

 

[cabanafrau]

Was this meant to be tongue in cheek, I can't tell?
Only if mom and dad are dentists are they experts. How would any parent know this unless they were told by well educated experts?
Did the parents ask the rationale for the removal recommendation? If not, why not; anyone should for any surgical procedure.
Ask questions until you understand why. Say no if you want another opinion. I do know they no longer just take them out just because.

Four out of five dentists say yes, tongue in cheek.

Ask for another opinion if you're consulting the fifth dentist.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

We've overall been happy with the dental advice our kids have received in re to braces and wisdom teeth.

DS21 had a lot of spaces early on and they told us that that was good - his teeth came in straight and so far, his wisdom teeth don't have to come out, though they're still watching them.

DD21 went for an orthodontic consult and I was rather shocked when they said she didn't need braces. I'd assumed they'd say she did, as our dentist thought maybe she did. So kudos for that orthodontist.

DD also had just her two bottom wisdom teeth removed because they were impacted and bothering her. They said the top two were ok. Again, kudos. She was in pain for a couple of days, but it was manageable, even with a dry socket.

I did not like some of the practices of two pediatric dental offices we went to, so we switched to a family dentist.

 

[North of Mouse]

I always question the need for medical procedures. At their core doctors are just highly educated guessers and people. They do not always have your best interest in mind when suggesting a procedure.

https://hub.jhu.edu/2017/09/06/unneeded-medical-care-hopkins-survey/

From the above article:

When I have that feeling toward any of my doctors, then is the time to look elsewhere. I 'must' have confidence with any doctor that is doing a procedure on me, or even advising. I have always been 'in the loop' about the whys, etc.

I don't look at them as just 'highly educated guessers' though, but professionals that have my interest at heart, even though I do my own research also. Would hate to be suspicious of the motives of every doctor I need to visit!

 

[mousefanmichelle]

I had mine out because the teeth next to them were causing cavities which in turn were causing rotting teeth. I was 30+ yrs old when they were removed. My 20 yr dd just had hers out ( 2 wks ago) because she has some filings this summer and had jaw pain that wasn't going away afterward. We were referred to and endodontist who said she didn't need a root canal or anything but maybe the wisdom teeth were causing the pain and he and the dentist recommended she get them removed. We did and she is still having slight jaw pain 2 weeks later. So I wouldn't say it's child abuse. Its not always necessary but child abuse is extreme.

 

[soccerdad72]

If you ever feel like your doctor / dentist does not have your best interest (and health) in mind when recommending a procedure, I recommend finding a new provider.

 

[kdonnel]

I'm also wondering why she couldn't open her mouth for four days. It may just be her reaction, it may also be that the oral surgeon was not the best.
I had a dentist that was unnecessarily rough in my mouth before while filling a cavity. I heard the assistant try to tell him something, and his response was "She can't feel it, the area is numb." Yeah, but the area was not going to be numb forever!

There was a lot of swelling that seemed to effect her jaw joint. She was barely able to open her mouth enough to put a spoon of apple sauce in. It was pitiful.

 

[Kitty 34]

My 19 year old daughter had her un-erupted wisdom teeth removed on January 2nd at the recommendation of her orthodontist and regular dentist. At the pre op appointment the oral surgeon listed an entirely different set of reasons why it was a good idea as well.

On the 6th as she was preparing to return to college she said that it was obvious to her now that wisdom teeth removal was legal and encouraged child abuse.

My wife and I both still have all our wisdom teeth. In my case I have one that came in during my 30's and three that still lay dorment. My wife has all 4 in and providing much of her chewing power.

It really makes me hesitant to have my sons removed in a couple years. It is one of those things you never know if it helped or not because you can't live you life with and without to compare.

I haven't read the whole thread (yet) but just mentioning that my son had to automatically have all four of his wisdom teeth removed when he was at his first Air Force base.

 

[Kitty 34]

As pot-stirring goes, it would have been a more interesting thread if the OP had gone with infant circumcision or babies having their ears pierced...

The day is young............

 

[Floridaman999]

This feels like Deja Vu.

 

[Jennasis]

There was a lot of swelling that seemed to effect her jaw joint. She was barely able to open her mouth enough to put a spoon of apple sauce in. It was pitiful.

Did she keep ice on it? You HAVE to ice after wisdom tooth extraction, constantly. Otherwise you swell up like a chipmunk storing acorns in their cheeks. It happened to me (I "iced"...for 15 minutes after I got home. but I was a know-it-all 20 year old who thought the ice was uncomfortable so I didn't KEEP doing it as I had been directed). Plus I still wound up with a dry socket.

 

[mjkacmom]

There was a lot of swelling that seemed to effect her jaw joint. She was barely able to open her mouth enough to put a spoon of apple sauce in. It was pitiful.

Recovery from medical procedures aren’t always easy, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t necessary. Dd22 took over a week to feel better after her wisdom teeth were removed (she also has a low pain tolerance), I had a dry socket, so it took over 2 weeks to feel better. I had a 3 year old get eye surgery, a 10 year old get his adenoids out, a 13 year old get ankle surgery - all were pretty pitiful.

 

[mnrose]

There was a lot of swelling that seemed to effect her jaw joint. She was barely able to open her mouth enough to put a spoon of apple sauce in. It was pitiful.

Some people are more sensitive to pain (I could say whiney....). I had a tooth removed just before Christmas. I took ONE ibuprofen while still at the surgeon's office and ONE more before bed. That was it. There was some mild discomfort for the next day or so, and I suppose I could have milked it for awhile, but I definitely did not need "pain" medication other than OTC ibuprofen. I returned to normal eating by day three. Until then, I ate "normal" things, but sought out "softer" foods (such as soups and smoothies). Maybe I'm just tougher than most people, IDK. But, in the hands of a competent oral surgeon, it isn't even in my top 3 of "bad" dental things to have done. I do them with novacaine.

When my wisdom teeth were removed, all 4, it was done on Friday and I returned to work as normal on Monday. That was in my late 20's.

 

[mnrose]

Did she keep ice on it? You HAVE to ice after wisdom tooth extraction, constantly. Otherwise you swell up like a chipmunk storing acorns in their cheeks. It happened to me (I "iced"...for 15 minutes after I got home. but I was a know-it-all 20 year old who thought the ice was uncomfortable so I didn't KEEP doing it as I had been directed). Plus I still wound up with a dry socket.

And, saline rinses a few times a day. That also helps. But ice is important to keep swelling down.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Did she keep ice on it? You HAVE to ice after wisdom tooth extraction, constantly. Otherwise you swell up like a chipmunk storing acorns in their cheeks. It happened to me (I "iced"...for 15 minutes after I got home. but I was a know-it-all 20 year old who thought the ice was uncomfortable so I didn't KEEP doing it as I had been directed). Plus I still wound up with a dry socket.

I didn't swell up at all. I'm fairly certain I did minimal icing, I remember my mom annoyed that she forgot to get a bag of peas lol but we ended up not needing it. I had some mild throbbing pain that I had medication for but it was paltry compared to cramps during my period.

I do think it's a good idea to be prepared just in case.

 

[robinb]

At the time for four days she had not eaten much, not slept much, not been able to open her mouth, and been in excruciating pain for the entire time. I am sure she was speaking from that mindset combined with the knowledge that just four days before she had none of those symptoms but had been encouraged to have the procedure done by both her parents and two medical professionals. It was spoken in a half serious, half joking manner.

No wonder she said something negative! Poor thing. I hope she's feeling better. As for your son, I would play it by ear. If you feel that the wisdom tooth removal was more "rote" than necessary I might change dentists to one that you trust more before your son is older. I do think that some dentists recommend wisdom teeth removal because that's just what's done to kids in the teens/20's.

Doesn't anyone else have a 19-year old female drama lama, or are @kdonnel and I the only ones? Mine would have had some choice words for me too if I had pushed for the oral surgery. FTR, she still has her wisdom teeth so I still have this to look forward to.