Wisdom Teeth?

[starwood]

The last few times DS has been to the orthodontist they have been harassing us about getting his wisdom teeth pulled. He has 3 that haven't started coming in yet. I know that there is a possibility they will throw his teeth slightly out of alignment when they do come in (it happened to me) but I can't see putting him through the pain of having 3 wisdom teeth pulled when he isn't having any problems with them yet. I will be 53 next month and only had one of my 2 wisdom teeth removed.

 

[mrsg00fy]

I would tend to go along with what the orthodontist advises. It would be awful to spend all that money only to have the teeth thrown out line later on.

I wore braces as a teenager and they came off when I was 18. The orthodontist was not concerned about the wisdom teeth. When they came in later.....they came in straight with no problems. I decided to not have them pulled....and my teeth are still straight. However, as my dentist told me at the time.....honey...your mouth is so big you could fit another 10 wisdom teeth in there...

When there were some tiny cavities in there years later, I had them filled rather than extracting the teeth because I did not want my teeth to shift.

Mon DS 14 has braces....but had to wait a while because his baby teeth would not come out. The ortho actually used palate expanders and this forced the teeth to fall out on their own. The other option was to pull the teeth...but I did not want my son to go through that.....In this case, the treatment took longer, but I can certainly understand NOT wanting to put your child through tooth extractions.....

However, remember this is a case by case basis and I would rely on the professional...maybe even a second opinion.

 

[TangaroaTiki]

I have worked for an orthodintist for 12 years and they almost always recommend removal of the wisdom teeth because most of the time they are impacted or coming in at an angle and will ruin the alignment of the teeth.

They also recommend early extraction because once the roots form on the teeth they are more difficult to remove and thereby give the patient a longer and more painful recovery.

 

[mjkacmom]

I had 6 permanant teeth removed when I had braces (back in the day, before palate expanders). My wisdom teeth finally arrived in my late 30's. I asked my (old) dentist if I should have them removed, even though they were healthy, and he said no. I then asked if they would cause my straight teeth to shift, and he said yes. I had them removed!

 

[ceecee]

I've worked for an oral surgeon and dentist for 20+ years. You paid the money for ortho and the third molars will very likely ruin the results over time. As for the surgery, sometimes you actually heal better if they are removed prior to coming thru, some are impacted in the bone and will not erupt at all. There is no gapping hole if it wasn't erupted. I had all of mine done on a Friday and by Sunday was fine. You're a little sore for a few days the first two are the worst and can't open really wide, but it's best to do it before there are problems. Go to a reputable ORAL SURGEON and not a general dentist.

 

[CleoPahd]

My parents too felt that there was no need to remove wisdom teeth that were not a problem. Unfortunately, what they did not realize was the problem they could later cause. I'm in an interesting situation now because now I'm in my 30's and never had them removed. I have 1 tooth starting to emerge and it is putting pressure on all of the other teeth. Though it's coming in straight, it's pressing up against the tooth in front of it because there isn't enough room for it. I've been to 1 oral surgeon who would not even consider extraction at this point without me seeing a neurosurgeon. What my parents never realized is that the older you get, the longer the roots of the wisdom teeth become. The roots of all of the teeth are now wrapped around my nerves. The oral surgeon is certain I will have nerve damage which may or may not be reversible. I'm going for a second opinion soon. If I don't have them out they will ruin the rest of my lower teeth. If I do have them out I may have mouth droop, no feeling and a list of other complications. Just something to consider. My dentist did tell me though that usually it's the bottom ones that cause a problem and those are the ones that really need to come out because of overcrowding. He also told me that typically there is enough room on top for the upper wisdom teeth.

 

[minkydog]

Don't wait until he's having trouble to do something about the wisdom teeth! Those big ol' molars can cause a world of trouble, not the least of which is messing up the teeth you just spent $6000 to straighten. If you have health coverage I would strongly advise you to go ahead and do this.

When I was 16 the dentist told my mother to get my wisdom teeth out. We didnt have dental insurance and my parents couldn't afford the surgery. So I kept my teeth. So, when I was 21 the teeth all got infected--I was so swollen I looked like chipmunk cheeks. I coudln't eat or open my mouth wide. I had to take 14 days of antibiotics before the oral surgeon would even touch my mouth. And THENNN, I had the surgery. All four teeth were impacted, three had cysts under the gums. They ended up having to dig all those teeth out and I was really in a mess there.

 

[DVCLiz]

I'm just curious - why would you use a word like "harassing" to describe a medical professional's recommendation based on his or her professional observation of your child?

 

[AllyandJack]

I never thought I had a problem with my wisdom teeth. In fact, 3 out of the 4 had come in and never caused a problem.

One day, when I was about 23yrs old, the one that didn't come out started to come out and hurt. I thought, oh great, here it comes. I went to an oral surgeon who did a panoramic x-ray.

They discovered a massive tumor in my jaw. It had eaten away at my jawbone over the years and was sitting on a nerve. The guy told me he'd have to remove the tooth and the tumor and, when he did, he would sever my facial nerve and I'd loose feeling in my lower lip and lower back of my teeth/jaw/face. He said it could be permanent. He recommended I put off law school because I'd need OT to learn how to speak again and function without the use of my lower lip. Oh, and don't worry, he said, 95% of the time, it's not cancer.

The surgery involved returning to his office every single week to have the wound packed with anti-bacterial gauze. I was horrified.

Thankfully, I got a 2nd opinion at a world-class hospital where a doctor there helped me. They removed all 4 wisdom teeth since, despite them being "out", they were still impacted and causing problems I couldn't yet detect from the outside.

For a year, I had a rubber hose sewn into my face where the jaw bone was growing back over the nerve. A year after my 1st surgery, they removed the tumor and saved my nerve. And, it wasn't cancer.

I still have to go back every 18mo for panoramic x-rays because they can grow back.

Wisdom teeth are nothing to mess around with. They're not "just teeth" and they can present bigger issues than shifting teeth.

When you finally have a problem, you have a BIG PROBLEM. So, waiting until there is a problem could be setting your son up for a horrific experience. If only MY dentist or MY orthodontist had the foresight to do a panoramic x-ray and see what was going on in there, maybe I wouldn't have had to go through what I did. I guess back then they had less information about this kind of stuff.

If you're hesitant, get a 2nd opinion. I know I'm glad I did. That 1st guy was going to just hack at my teeth and sever my nerve. I'm so thankful I got the 2nd opinion.

Good luck.

 

[englishteacha]

I had mine out when I was 27. I should NOT have waited. As a kid, we didn't have medical or dental insurance so it was too expensive to have them out. They weren't bothering me so I didn't worry about it. When I got on my own and had insurance, the dentist said I should have them out (I was 24). They weren't bothering me so I didn't worry about it. Then 3 years later, my mouth started to hurt all the time, I had constant headaches, and after looking at the past few years' school photos, I noticed that my front teeth had begun to shift! Off to the dentist for an X-ray and sure enough, the teeth were moving. I went to an oral surgeon, had them removed, and he said they were the toughest case he'd seen in years. I won't go into details but my recovery was very painful, even with prescription painkillers. I had tons of complications with having them out, and ended up out of work for a full week.

I work with teens, and all of them who have had their wisdom teeth out feel fine in about 48 hours, some even sooner. The older you are when you have them out, the more developed the teeth are. That means longer roots, deeper extractions, and more chances of nerve damage. My advice to any parent considering this for their kids? Have the teeth out NOW!

 

[AKL_Megs]

I had mine removed when I was about 18 or 19. Mine were compacted and had been for YEARS! We kept putting it off and putting it off (I was scared), until one X-ray came back that looked sort of bad. The impacted wisdom teeth were pushing up against my back molars, and the dentist thought those would have to be pulled as well if the wisdom teeth weren't pulled soon. They were basically starting to "crack" my molars, and would eventually cause major cavities if we waited much longer.

Totally worth it in the end. My mouth felt surprisingly less cramped once they were gone!

 

[Nancy]

My 16 year old is having hers out as soon as we get the insurance estimate. Her orthodontist did an xray because she has been complaining about some pain....saw he teeth in there and they are not coming in the way they should..she just got her braces off and I do not want her teeth shifting again. Before the oral sugeon would ee her we ha to go to her regular dentist...so we I guess were harrassed by3 people now telling us they need to ome out now.

My 19 year old is now also saying her lower teeth hurt and sure enough it looks like her lower wisdom are trying to break through but there is not enough room...so oral surgeon for her too.

I am not looking forward to the bills because I know insurance will not cover it all but I am not messing around when it comes to their health and well being.

 

[ZephyrHawk]

I say go for it now while he's resilient, has you to care for him during his recovery, and is on your insurance.

 

[Binnie]

My mother has periodontal disease, so she wouldn't even ask about pulling my wisdom teeth. Technically, I had enough room in my mouth for them to grow in, so no one worried about them.

And when they started come in, she still didn't think it was necessary to have them removed, so I got to live for several years (3-4) with impacted wisdom teeth growing in (no one knew they were impacted, for some reason), then stopping, then starting again, then stopping. It was yucky. It never moved my other teeth, but it was gross and painful.

I finally had them out when I was in graduate school. THANK GOD! It hurt like the dickens, but it was better in about a week, and I've never looked back.

If they should come out, have them out.

 

[pyrxtc]

My dentist has already mentioned my 12 yr olds wisdom teeth and that they would be coming out soon. She has beautiful teeth and if I want them to stay that way, the wisdoms need to come out. They can already see that they are coming in crooked so at her next cleaning, we will look again and then probably schedule to ahve them out. I am 33 and just ahd them out last week and should have had them out a long time ago. It took me getting a bad infection in one of them and imeadiate surgery to get that one out and then a 3 week wait to pull the rest.

 

[Minniemama350]

Guess where I was when I was 15 and my wisdom teeth gave me trouble? WDW!! Miserable day! I had just had my braces taken off and they came in. I ended up in the ER because my mouth got swollen open!! My teeth have never been the same. Not something to wait for. This is a preventative maintenance issue!

 

[kirbsam]

so do you want to wait for him to have a problem? there is no case like your sons. so all the opinions and anecdotal stories from others really dont mean anything. if you dont trust your orthodontists judgement after spending thousands of dollars at his office, that is too bad. if you woulod rather wait for a problem, as it seems you want to do from your post, that is too bad for your son.

 

[ericamanda01]

My DH didn't have his wisdom teeth taken out. He had braces that straitened his teeth to perfectly in his teens. Then in his 20's two of them came in and now he needs braces again. I tend to agree with most dr's when they have a recommendation, if not then I will seek another opinion. I don't think there is a lot of money to be made when removing wisdom teeth, so I would believe they are suggesting the removal as a preventative measure.

 

[jlima]

The last few times DS has been to the orthodontist they have been harassing us about getting his wisdom teeth pulled. He has 3 that haven't started coming in yet. I know that there is a possibility they will throw his teeth slightly out of alignment when they do come in (it happened to me) but I can't see putting him through the pain of having 3 wisdom teeth pulled when he isn't having any problems with them yet. I will be 53 next month and only had one of my 2 wisdom teeth removed.

I wouldn't call what they are doing harassment. Your ortho is making a recommendation, which is an essential element of the orthodontic treatment you are getting for your son, and you're not taking their advice. Maybe get a second opinion? But if it were me, I would get the wisdom teeth removed. You are preventing future problems.

What can they see on your DS's xrays? I only had one wisdom tooth, and I had it removed when I was 15. It way completely sideways and would have grown straight into the molar on my lower right jaw. My DS15 doesn't have any wisdom teeth; lucky him. (runs in my family; my dad didn't have any wisdom teeth either)

 

[tar heel]

The status of your wisdom teeth has absolutely nothing to do with your child's. I've had my wisdom teeth for 30-plus years, they're straight and cavity free. I suspect I'll die with them in my mouth. My son's, on the other hand, would have definitely caused him problems, so we had them removed at the orthodontist's recommendation. If you don't trust your orthodontist's opinion, perhaps you should switch to another person.