<p>DS just had an appointment w/ oral surgeon, who seemed to imply that it would be no big deal not to remove the teeth. I came out with the impression that we could choose not to do anything about them, without major consequences. If a problem develops, then we would remove them. However, I get the impression that a lot of people opt to just take them out. We will talk to his regular dentist in a few days, but, in the meantime, I am interested to know if anybody here has also hesitated to have their kids’ wisdom teeth removed.</p>
<p>My H refused to have his out. Has never had any problem with them. D had all hers out and it didn’t help her teeth crowding issues. With S, we opted against the recommendation and his bite is fine.</p>
<p>I think the received “wisdom” sometimes can be questioned.</p>
<p>my child just got his braces off and recommended their removal.
i did not have mine removed and my teeth shifted.
my daughters front tooth was injured during the removal, later darkened from
probably being knocked by a tool.
so…i am thinking very seriously about ths one.</p>
<p>My 18 year-old S had a panoramic x-ray done yesterday, and you can see how his wisdom teeth are coming in at an angle, pressing against his expensively straightened other teeth. They won’t ever end up going straight down, coming through the gum and having plenty of room to co-exist with the other teeth without causing problems, so his wisdom teeth will come out next week. My 21 year-old D had hers out in March, since they were also coming in crooked and were causing pain and swelling in her mouth, as well as starting to push her beautiful teeth out of line.</p>
<p>My H and I both had orthodontia as teens, did not have our wisdom teeth removed, and have had lots of squishing together of our other teeth. Some of my wisdom teeth only came partially through the gum, were painful and difficult to clean, got cavities in them, and had gum problems around them. I wish I had mine out when I was a teen instead of in my 50’s.</p>
<p>So much depends, though, on how they are coming in, which is what the x-ray will tell you.</p>
<p>WashDadJr only had three wisdom teeth. Two were growing horizontally against the other molars, and the third one was coming in at a 45-degree angle. I don’t think we had much choice, so we had them removed a month before he left for college. Some of you might have read about that fun story here in CC at the time:</p>
<p>My son will have his removed this summer. We’ve seen the x-rays that show them growing in under the roots of the molars, potentially damaging those teeth. I think if your oral surgeon doesn’t see a need for them to be removed, rejoice! He would most likely suggest their removal if it were important in your son’s case.</p>
<p>I think the general idea is that if theres any chance that they’re going to cause problems (and they usually do) then it’s much better to get them out sooner rather than later. If you wait until they actually start causing problems the surgery can be quite complicated with a much higher risk of complications such as a broken jaw.</p>
<p>Since nobody has ever suggested (yet) that my son needs his wisdom teeth removed, I see no reason to do anything unless and until he has a problem. I had one removed in my early 20’s, and was advised to “wait and see” about the others. One was removed some years later, and the other two are still in there – they haven’t come through “yet,” but they haven’t caused any problems, and I’m 53!</p>
<p>Mine hurt like heck. I had five. It runs in my family - my brother had seven.</p>
<p>I was told that mine were going to come in straight if they ever did come in at all. The <em>experts</em> were wrong. They did come in at age 25, they came in crooked, caused some serious damage that I am still dealing with. In fact, one of the damaged molars is being pulled next week. I’m 52 and not thrilled with the prospect of an extraction.</p>
<p>There was a recent study that concluded that “no evidence was found to support or refute routine prophylactic removal of asymptomatic impacted wisdom teeth in adults”. (Abstract [here](<a href=“http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/511443]here[/url]”>http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/511443)</a>.)</p>
<p>I still have my upper wisdom teeth, which have never come in (lower ones were removed when I was 12). The dentist wants me to have them surgically removed, but for what reason, I can’t fathom. I think she must have a secret tooth shrine in her basement and wants to take my wisdom teeth to add to her shrine.</p>
<p>I have all my wisdom teeth, hygienist complains about having to clean them because ‘they are so far back there’. Dentist always threatens that if one ever gets a cavity, it might be too hard to fill, blah, blah, blah. I have very few cavities in my entire mouth. It does seem they want to remove everyone’s wisdom teeth these days. I did have D’s removed recently (age 18), but was unsure if it was totally necessary. Oral surgeon says it is better to take them out when they are small than after the roots are fully developed, etc, in case there was a problem later. I’m not completely convinced.</p>
<p>My mother has impacted wisdom teeth. The last time they were assigned to an African post some dentist got all in a doodah about them. She said if they hadn’t bothered her in 50 years she didn’t think that she had much to worry about. It’s been another 25 years and they still haven’t given her problems.</p>
<p>I had a bunch of other molars removed when I had braces. My orthodontist said I should be able to keep my wisdom teeth. I think they’ve all had cavities and one got to the point where my dentist said it was more trouble than it was worth to keep. I had it removed and it didn’t hurt much to remove, nor was it particularly complicated.</p>
<p>I keep thinking about tonsils as I read this thread . . . Remember when they were removed routinely, and then they realized that was stupid?</p>
<p>And then there are uteruses . . . .</p>
<p>I have merely one. My dad (dentist) told me it would be fine to simply leave it be.</p>
<p>My D is having hers out next week. It seems really clear from the xray that they are coming in against her other teeth. She is a singer and doesn’t want to take the chance of having an emergency that would interfere with rehearsals or performances. Her orthodontist told me that it is a myth that they make other teeth shift when they come it. They can press against and damage the teeth next to them or cause cavities there.</p>
<p>I admit to being a skeptic when it comes to dental care recommendations. Dentistry, orthodontics and oral surgery are professions that need to drum up patients to stay in business. I watched a show once (60 minutes maybe?) where a reporter travelled across the country with a dental problem and got about 30 different recommendations from 30 different dentists, ranging from “do nothing” to thousands of dollars worth of dental work. There does not appear to be much in the way of standards in those professions.</p>
<p>Crowded mouths run in my family, so we have lots of experience with wisdom tooth issues. I had only two (the bottoms) that began giving me trouble in mid-adulthood. I had them removed by different oral surgeons at different times. No problems. My brother had all four out at one time, again in mid-adulthood. He was out of work for two weeks recovering. My D had laughably impacted wisdom teeth, all four literally pointing forward, and had them out at 18 with no problems. My advice is GET A SECOND OPIONION!!!</p>
<p>About two yrs ago our dentist was after us to have DS’ wisdom teeth removed and we were all in a dither about it b/c he was going to be going off to college and we didn’t want him to have any problems while away from home. Well, we sort of put it off until it was too late to do anything about it before he left. This was partly because we knew he was going in the Navy & soon the expense would all be covered completely (yeah, we’re frugal!). We (I) fretted a lot b/c I had heard that the Navy routinely takes out wisdom teeth even if they aren’t causing problems because they don’t want someone stuck out at sea getting an abcess or anything. So I just knew he’d have to get them out during his Freshman yr. while far far away from MOM! Well, guess what - the Navy actually said he did NOT need to have them out!</p>
<p>So there was 1. the dentist wanting to take them out, and 2. the Navy that usually takes them out as a prophylaxis and he ends up keeping them! And so far, no probs.</p>
<p>I figure some dentists gotta make their $$ somehow. Always good to gt a 2nd opinion!</p>
<p>Wow - cross-posted w/ #17 & 18. Consensus for getting a 2nd opinion.</p>